Love of Basketball
by The Struggling Warrior
Summary: Sometimes, the things you love will never love you back.
1. Year 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Year 1

Two hundred to zero was the final score when the buzzer sounded. This was not just a blow-out game. The final score showed a complete dominance that had rarely been seen in any sport, let alone basketball. It was a result that no one had predicted, even if one of the teams was the Generation of Miracles. Without a doubt, it was a record breaking moment.

There was no reveling in victory, though. As soon as the buzzer sounded, the entire stadium went silent except for the heavy breathing of the opposite team. No one in the crowd cheered. The referees were in stunned. Even the remaining members of each team were shocked to silence. Only the players on the court were able to move. While the Teiko members mildly paced to the center of the court, their Meikō counterparts collapsed to their knees in complete defeat. As always, no one noticed as the smallest member on the Teiko team moved away from her teammates.

Kuroko Tamaki stood in front of the kneeling form of her childhood friend, Ogiwara Shigehiro. Unlike the young man's average looks with a combination of brown hair and eyes, Tamaki was a conundrum of beauty and invisibility. Her lack of presence made zoning in on her a near impossible ask if she didn't want you to see her. At the same time, once someone took notice of her, they would be captivated by the soft, smooth features of her currently sweat covered face. Her long, blue locks of silk were pulled back into a single pony tail.

Wiping some of the sweat from her brow with her jersey, Kuroko looked down to her friend, "Shigehiro?"

Tears began to run down Ogiwara's face as he looked up hopelessly to her, "I-I don't…Why?"

"Why?" Kuroko blinked. "Wasn't this what we promised? That we play against each other at full strength?"

"Y-Yeah, but…" Ogiwara looked down at trembling fingers. "I never expected this. Such a gap of ability exists? Not just them. You. You're a monster."

Kuroko flinched slightly, "M-Monster?"

"What's the point of even playing?" Ogiwara questioned. "There's not only people like you that exist, there's a whole team of you. No amount of effort could ever close this gap. It's pointless. We should have given up from the start."

Kuroko tried to say something but paused when she saw the look on his face. It was a look that she had seen many times throughout her third year of middle school. All of her teammates had that look every day. There was no faking that emotion. While her nakama gained it out of boredom, Ogiwara had the look because she forced it on him. A feeling of sickness overcame her as she stared into the face of a man that now truly hated basketball.

Keeping her features set on her normal neutrality, Kuroko slipped back into her old habit of fading out of notice. Turning, she left Ogiwara to cry on the ground. With her lack of presence, the bluenette slipped off the court without any of the stunned crowd noticing her movements. Even the teammates that she fought with for three years barely noticed her departure until she was at the door. Ignoring the shouts of the five people she considered her equals, she slammed the door shut behind her. With the calm grace expected from the Queen of Miracles, Kuroko stepped through the quiet halls of the stadium until she reached a women's restroom.

Upon slipping into the washroom, Kuroko approached the sink. She stared into the mirror. Her stunning features now lacked the shine of sweat. Slowly, she reached up to remove the scrunchy which held her hair up. Once the blue locks fell around her face like a halo, Tamaki allowed her mask to crack. Pink lips twisted into a pout. The flawless skin of her brow wrinkled. Her bright blue eyes began to lightly leak out tears.

A soft sob left her lips as she leaned forward to hide her own face from herself. Giving a loud whine, Kuroko began to cry in earnest. Months of suppressed stress poured out of her heart. She clawed at the porcelain of the sink while muttering out explicit curses to any god which crossed her mind. This was not how things were supposed to go. This was supposed to be the moment which made everything worth the suffering.

Lifting her head up, Kuroko stared at her broken features. Years ago, she never even thought that she would had made second string of her team, let alone this. Part of her wished that she hadn't actually succeeding in shattering through her limits. Being a nobody at the bottom of the team had to be better than this. At least then, she wouldn't be in this situation. If she hadn't become the phantom six member of the Generation of Miracles, then Kuroko Tamaki never would have grown to hate basketball.

* * *

"Kuroko Tamaki?" the coach stared down at the name in confusion. The new players around him mumbled in confusion. "Is this a prank? Did one of you write a girl's name to—"

"No. I wrote my own name down."

"Woah!" the coach jumped as he just noticed the girl that was literally right in front of him. He took solace in seeing that the recruits appeared just as shocked as he did. "When did you get here?!"

"I've been here the whole time," new Middle schooler bowed. "My name is Kuroko Tamaki. I would like to join the basketball team."

"Um," the coach scratched his cheek. "This is the boys' team."

Kuroko came up from her bow, "I know. Unfortunately, there is no girls' team at this school. I tried to start a petition to create one, but I lack the presence to gain the attention of people without scaring them. As such, I thought that joining the already established team would be more plausible."

"I see. That makes sense, but…"

"Oh. I'm sorry. Is there a rule dividing the genders in sports? I didn't see one when I read the academy's rule book."

"N-No. There's no rule or anything about a girl joining the boy's team, but…" the coach looked at her body in a way that judged her athletics rather than anything perverse. While most her form was hidden beneath baggy workout clothes, he could still see just how scrawny the girl was compared to other females her own age. Only the softness of her features and short blue hair which ended right below her ears suggested anything feminine about her. She looked like a toothpick. "You do know that this is a champion level team, right? We are the best of the best. Our moto is that winning is everything and losing is not accepted. That means that we only accept the best to play."

"I understand," Kuroko nodded.

The coach sighed. He decided to just go with this until the girl quit, otherwise he might get accused of sexism, "Alright then. I'll finish roll call, and then we'll get started. You'll be expected to finish all of the exercises."

"Hai."

* * *

Laps. Suicide runs. More laps. Sharp cuts around cones. Squats. More laps. Dribble drills. Free throw shots. Scrimmage game. Even more laps.

By the time, Kuroko finished her last lap, the other members of the team had retired for the evening long ago. Completely drenched in sweat, she finally let herself collapse. Every muscle in her body ached. Bruises were spread across the skin of her arm and back. She had thrown up twice and would have done so a third time if there had been anything left in her stomach. Overall, Tamaki looked like a complete mess, but she finished every exercise.

A sudden presence at her side drew her attention upward. The coach stared down at her. He offered a hand. She slowly took the offer and allowed him to guide her to the bleachers. Once they were seated, the man spoke, "Whelp, you did everything. That's more than I expected. Well done."

Tamaki gave a small smile, "T-Thank you."

"While I am impressed with you, though, it's only to the level of which I first judged you," the coach sighed. "Your physical abilities are still far, far below that of an average boy your age. You got guts. No doubt about that. Guts isn't enough for this team, though. There's a zero percent chance that I'd ever play you. It's rare for us to cut people if they don't break any rules, so I'll let you stick around. But everyone on the team would consider you less than third string. Fourth string."

"I see."

"Perhaps you'd prefer to become a manager?" the coach suggested. "We need people with your work ethic. Plus, after today, I'm sure that you've earned the respect of everyone on the team. You'd be helping the first string immediately. I guarantee it."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline," Tamaki looked up to the gymnasium roof. "I want to play basketball."

"Why?" the coach asked.

"Because I love basketball," with that said, Kuroko shakily stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I must get ready to go home. I will come back for practice tomorrow."

The coach sighed, "I can't stop you. If you want to try this, then go ahead. But everything I said was true."

"I know," Kuroko whispered. "But I have to try."

As the girl began to limp her way to the female changing room, mismatched eyes stared at from the gym entrance. He had been curious about her when she first popped up. Very few people could hover below his radar. At first, he thought that it was just that. Someone with very little presence existed. That didn't mean that she was worth anything. As practice went on though, he noticed something in her. An amazing potential existed with her. She was glorious.

Akashi Seijūrō smirked as he turned away. He already scouted a few other players with potential. His mind began to turn with possibilities. If they all could reach their full potential…No. Best to put that on hold for now. He would have to wait to see if they continued to show the guts to continue down the road to becoming the best.

* * *

Life was hell for Tamaki from that day onward. She could hardly move the morning after her first practice. Her entire body screamed at her to stay in bed, yet she refused to listen. One skipped day would ruin everything she built up. Barely able to stand, she dragged herself to school and then to practice. Just like before, Kuroko forced herself to complete every task placed before her. She finished at an even later time than her first day.

The third practice was even worse, and the fourth day nearly made her faint. For the first week, things continued in a down spiral. Kuroko honestly thought that she was going to die as she numbly dragged herself home at the end of the week. She couldn't focus in her classes. Every time she reached her home, she immediately passed out. Meals never seemed to be enough to sustain her. A deep part of her mind tempted her with pleasurable thoughts of quitting as she final received a day of rest on Sunday. Despite the agony, she refused to relent. On Monday, Kuroko trudged onward as always to find out a joyful fact. Her body was adapting.

Tamaki finished practice at a far earlier time with many less aches. She still finished long after the boys finished, and her body still ached terribly; but it was an improvement. Encouraged, she continued to push herself through practices. Slowly, the agony faded into simpler pains. Her time steadily improved to where she finished her exercises at the same time as the others. After a month of torture, she had dragged her fitness level into what could be considered slightly below average. She did not stop there, though.

Kuroko bowed before her coach. He stared at her with raised eyebrows, "Overtime practice?"

"Hai."

The coach rubbed the back of his head, "I don't mind, but make sure to return the key and go home when the school closes."

That was how Kuroko got to where she was at this moment. Covered in sweat, she raised shaking arms to shoot the ball from the free throw line. Upon releasing the ball, Tamaki watched as it came short of the basket and tumbled uselessly onto the clean boards of the basketball court. The sinking feeling of another air ball rushed through her stomach as she once again trudged to the ball in order to retrieve it.

As she picked up the orb, the sound of one of the gym doors opening drew her attention. Upon seeing a mop of red hair, Kuroko turned away. One of the other players probably just forgot something. He wouldn't noticed her.

"I'm impressed. You really stuck with it."

Blinking, Kuroko turned back to the boy in mild surprised. She then recognized the combination of crimson hair and mismatched eyes. The girl gave a small bow, "Akashi Seijūrō. I'm sorry for not addressing you sooner, senpai."

Akashi's calculating gaze shimmered with slight amusement, "You don't need to call me that. We're the same age."

"But you're in first string," Kuroko came up from her bow. "That's a more important seniority than age in this sport."

Her words were true. Surprisingly, Seijūrō was one of a few first years that actually managed to make first string in the Teikō basketball team. It was even more surprising considering his average stature. The other three which immediately moved to the top were extremely tall for Japanese boys entering puberty. Akashi had no such physical advantage. He was at the top for his unparalleled skill.

"Fair enough," Akashi admitted. "But that's a gap that I think that will be closed soon enough."

Kuroko tilted her head cutely, "Excuse me? I don't understand what you mean."

"Well, when you make it to the first string, we'll be equals," Akashi explained as if it were obvious.

"First string?" Kuroko let out a light giggle. "Skills and a sense of humor. Life is unfair sometimes."

"I assure you that I'm not joking," Akashi's face remained stern.

Kuroko frowned, "Are you mocking me?"

Akashi was not expecting her to say that, "What?"

"Well, I doubt that you'd be hitting on me. I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not special in terms of femininity, especially for someone like you," Kuroko shrugged in an acceptance that she learned long ago. "So I'm assuming that you're mocking me. While it's…understandable, I find it extremely rude. There's no way that I would ever make second string, let alone first."

Akashi raised an eyebrow, "Then why do you train so hard? You push yourself past your limits every day. Even when you look like death, you drag yourself forward to get even a tiny bit stronger. Through sheer force of will, you withstood hell for over a month and came out one hundred times better than you were before. No one with a loser mentality would do that."

"I'm not deluded," Kuroko stared at the basketball in her hands. "I'm well aware of my limits. My intent was always to play basketball. Considering the competition here, I considered going to a different middle school, but that wouldn't have made a difference. No matter which school I went to, I never would have played on the boy's team."

"Why did it have to be on the boy's team?" Akashi felt curiosity boil in his stomach.

"It's a personal reason," Kuroko's tone left no room for argument. "In the end, Teikō is just an excuse for me not being able to make it. I could always just say that the competition was too great for even excellent boy players to overcome."

"Yet you're still trying," Akashi noted. "Why?"

"Because I love basketball," Kuroko looked back up to meet his eyes. Passion burned in her eyes.

"That's it?"

"I don't need anything else. I love this game so much that it hurts, but sometimes the things you love will never love you back," Kuroko sighed. "Well, if you'll excuse me, it's getting late. I need to get ready to head home."

"What if I told you that you were wrong?"

Kuroko gave him a look of confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I think there might be a way for you to become an invaluable player," Akashi smirked. "But you'll never achieve it by continuing this path. You have a strength that I've never encountered before. Your lack of presence is so great that it borderlines on ninjustu. Even I, who has been trained his entire life to notice every little detail around him, failed to notice you when you first showed up for practice. In order for me to keep track of you, I have to devote every speck of my attention on you. One small distraction, and you're gone. It's an overwhelming power."

Kuroko didn't know how to respond to that. No one had ever described her lack of presence in a positive way. Most people considered her creepy and pathetic.

"Find a way to hone your power," Akashi turned away from her and began to walk away. "That's the only tip I can provide. The rest is up to you."

"How do I know that you're not lying to me?" Kuroko inquired.

Akashi looked back at her, "Because I don't waste my time on people who aren't worthy of it. You have an amazing potential. I'd hate for you to squander it."

Kuroko watched as he left. Once the door slammed shut behind him, her blue eyes turned back down to the basketball. Did she really have that sort of potential? She always thought of others' tendencies to ignore her as a curse that she just had to live through. Could she really weaponized it?

* * *

Thoughts of her conversation with Akashi consumed her. She thought about how to use her ability in a useful way even during classes, not that her teachers noticed her daydream and scribble in her notebooks. For a week, she contemplated on how she could possibly be of any use during a game. Her dribbling was pathetic. Her shooting was even more so. All she could think of was passing. She could do that, but how would that help?

During her overtime practice, she experimented. Kuroko sloppily dribbled the basketball around cones and then bounce passed the ball to a target she set up. The ball rocketed to the target and easily hit its mark. Kuroko knew that the pass was sharp, but it wasn't enough. There was no way to use it in a game if she couldn't be noticed even by her teammates. With a sigh, she picked up the ball so that she could move to sit on the bleachers. Perhaps Akashi was wrong.

The gym doors opening drew her attention upward. Panic surged through her chest at the familiar situation. If Akashi confronted her now, she would have nothing to show him. Relief came upon seeing a navy haired boy with a tanner skin tone. Kuroko then frowned and wondered if he was sent to spy on her considering who he was. Standing, she approached the other basketball player.

"Ha. Ghost my ass."

"Aomine-senpai?"

"Holy shit!" Aomine jumped at the sudden voice. Face twisted with terror, he turned to see the tiny girl. "Woah! What the hell!? You scared the hell out me!"

"I apologize," Kuroko's tone was not very apologetic.

"Yeah right," Aomine huffed. "Hey, what are you doing in here anyway? This court is only for basketball players, you know."

"Yes. I'm a player."

"Oh…" Aomine scratched his cheek. "Didn't know that we had a girls' team."

"No, there is no girls' team. I'm on the boys' team."

"You're kidding me?!" Aomine burst out laughing. "We have a girl on the team as a player?"

"Yes, but I'm on third string," Kuroko admitted.

"Geeze. How weird," Aomine's eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Wait…I remember you. You were at the first practice before I got moved up to first string. I thought that you would have quit by now."

"No, I didn't quit," Kuroko felt annoyed. "In fact, I'm currently in the middle of overtime practice."

"Really?" Aomine found himself being surprised by the girl every few seconds. "That's…impressive. I don't even know any first string guys that dedicated."

"Yes, well, I'm not very good," Kuroko looked down in shame. "The only way for me to possibly get better is to train harder than everyone else."

"You want to move up that badly?" Aomine asked.

"Of course. I want to play basketball."

"Why go through all this trouble? There has to be easier options."

"Maybe, but I have my reasons for doing this," Kuroko clenched the ball in her hands. "I want to contribute to the team like how Akashi-senpai said."

"Akashi said that he thought that you could contribute?" Aomine almost died of shock in that moment.

"Yes, but I'm still trying to figure out how," Kuroko sighed. "But I won't stop until I figure it out."

"Wow. I'm impressed. Never thought anyone was this passionate about the game," Aomine smiled.

"Of course. I love basketball," Kuroko tilted her head. "Don't you?"

Aomine blinked at the question. His smile grew until it threatened to split his face. "You're damn right I do! It's the best! Ha! I've decided!"

"Decided what?"

"I'm going to help you! If Akashi sees something in you, then you're definitely something special!" Aomine extended a hand. "My name's Aomine Daiki."

Kuroko slowly reached up to grasp the extended hand. "My name is Kuroko Tamaki. Please take care of me, Aomine-senpai."

"Woah. Way too much formality. Call me Daiki, Tamaki-chan."

"Um, okay, Daiki-san."

"Well…It's an improvement, I guess."

* * *

Kuroko thought that Aomine was joking. No starter would stay after practice to help a nobody third string. To her shock, he did show up the next day to train with her. He continued to join in the overtime work each day. While surprised, Tamaki embraced the assistance. Aomine Daiki was a basketball genius and really helped her improved. Not to mention how moralizing it was to have someone around to encourage her.

Despite his excellent help in improving her basics, though, Aomine was clueless when it came to figuring out how to weaponized her lack of presence. He suggested a curved pass, but Kuroko didn't believe that physics would let her do that. Nevertheless, she greatly enjoyed speaking with the boy. It was nice to feel as though she had a friend. Most people were creeped out by her tendency to fade away. Aomine didn't care about that. He appreciated anyone that shared his love of basketball.

Most days after training, he even walked her home. While she insisted that no one would notice her enough to attack her, Aomine still stated that he would feel like a 'dick' if he left her. Having enjoyed his companionship, she decided not to argue with him. Instead, Kuroko enjoyed their unusual conversations.

"So, your childhood friend is the team's manager?" Kuroko questioned.

"Huh?" Aomine scratched the back of his head. "Satsuki? Yeah. She's a pain. I think she did it just to keep an eye on me."

"You sound close," Kuroko noted.

"Meh, I guess. She's way too overbearing, though. I wish she'd take a note out of your book and just be cool," Aomine shrugged.

"Does she wonder what you're doing after practice?" Kuroko questioned.

"I told her that I was doing some extra training and messing around," Aomine explained. "She acted shocked, though. I'm not that lazy…"

Kuroko gave him a sideways glance, "You didn't tell her about me? Are you hiding the fact that we're practicing together?"

"What? No." Aomine sighed. "She'd just want to meet you, and then she'd freak out over the fact that you're a girl."

"Oh. She would be jealous. That's understandable from your girlfriend. You should just tell her that our relationship is completely platonic."

"Girlfriend?! Satsuki? Hell no! That's just…gross," Aomine gagged.

"But I've seen her. She's a lot like those idols on the magazines you stare at," Kuroko kept her features completely still. "You know. The ones with the large breasts."

Aomine grimaced, "Err…you caught me doing that?"

"Yes," Kuroko turned her head to stare at him. "Hentai."

"W-What?! I'm not a pervert!"

"If you say so."

"I'm not! I swear!"

Most conversations ended up going on like that. Kuroko even shared bits of her own history with him. She explained that she made a promise with a childhood friend to eventually play against each other.

"Your friend was a guy, right?" Aomine nodded. "So that's why you're working so hard to make the boy's team."

"Yes. When we were small, we didn't really understand why boys and girls teams were separated," Kuroko noted. "Considering that girls playing with boys isn't completely unheard of, I just said that I'd work hard to make it on the guy team. He probably doesn't expect me to keep a dumb kid promise, but it means a lot to me. It's how I got introduced to basketball, after all."

"I see," Aomine grinned. "Well, I can't guarantee anything, but we'll work hard to make it a reality."

Kuroko smiled, "Yes."

Soon, Tamaki grew to look forward to their talks. They were the highlights of her hard days of training. It was the only point when she wasn't consumed with thoughts of how to improve her basketball skills. They even discussed things that Tamaki had no knowledge of.

"So…the point of the game is to kill your target?" Kuroko tried to wrap her head around the concept.

"Yeah. You're not supposed to be caught. If you do, it lowers your score," Aomine explained. "But you also can't just randomly kill people to make it easier. That hurts your score too. Instead, you avoid being seen without hurting anyone and then take out your target. After that, you sneak away without drawing attention to yourself."

"I see. That sounds violent, but I can see the appeal," Kuroko slowly nodded. "Maybe I should try to play one of the video games on my days off."

"Nice. At least then, these talks wouldn't be so one-sided," Aomine chuckled. "The only thing we seem to have in common is basketball. It'd be nice to do some actual gamer talk with you."

"Or you could pick up a book," Kuroko suggested.

"Err, I think it'd be faster for you just to play a game for an hour," Aomine scratched his chin sheepishly.

Kuroko gave a small giggle, "Did you just insult your own intelligence?"

"S-Shut up!" Aomine gained a tiny blush. "It would be better for you anyway. If you play stealth games, it might give ideas on what Akashi was talking about."

"I don't think that this Hitman game will translate to basketball."

"You never know. Wouldn't it be cool? You sneaking around the court, taking out the enemy. Biding your time until the time is right, and then you strike. People would be like, 'Woah! Where'd she come from!?' But then you sneak away while people are cleaning up the blood," Aomine grinned. "That would be awesome. You'd probably get a bunch of fouls if you literally killed the other team, though. Right, Kuroko?"

Aomine realized that the girl was no longer by his side. He turned to see her staring at him.

"Tamaki-chan?"

Kuroko's eyes were wide, "I…You just gave me an idea."

"Um, you know that I was joking, right? You can't actually kill the other team.

"No. Not that," Kuroko shook her head. Possibilities rushed through her head. Images of her stealing the ball during passes and dribbling rushed through her head. Her mind then moved to offense. Screening and secret passes would be like the dagger into the back of her opponents. They would never notice her creeping up on them until it was too late. If she got the ball in the hands of her teammates, the enemy quickly forget about her. She would not get any stats or joyful celebrations, but she could contribute on the court during an actual game. "I need to go to the book store real fast. I might be there a while. You can go ahead and head home, Aomine-san."

"It's Daiki," Aomine then tried to speak again, but Kuroko rushed off. He watched her go. For a moment, he considered rushing after her but decided against it. She rarely lit up like that. Whatever she had in mind must be impressive. It might be for the best to let her go. He would just have to ask about it tomorrow.

* * *

Lunch time was a very silent time for Kuroko. She often spent the time in a quiet corner. While she ate, she divided her attention between her meal and getting ahead on her homework. Most students would have mocked her for such "loser" actions if they noticed her, but Tamaki didn't care. Almost every day after practice, she was too tired to study. Getting it done during lunch made life a lot easier.

Today was different, though. Instead of schoolwork, she stared at one of the books she had bought on the previous night. "The Art of Misdirection" was the just the first of many reading materials that she purchased. Kuroko doubted that the writer intended for it to be used for basketball, but the book gave her plenty of ideas. If she could implement the ideas during the game, she could become a dagger in the backs of her enemies. She had to test it out.

Packing up her stuff, she moved from her remote corner of the school to her classroom. Once entering the familiar setting, she glanced around to the various desks. One of the workplaces had a book on its corner. On the other end of the room stood a group of boys. She saw one of their phones sticking out of his pocket. Nodding, she moved to the book and nudged it so that it began to slide off the edge of the desk. As it teetered, Kuroko swiftly moved behind the boys.

Once the book fell, the boys turned to see what made the loud bang. With lightning fast hands gained from her extra training with Aomine, Kuroko grabbed the phone and slid it onto the desk next to the boy. She then slipped away before anyone could notice her. Upon sitting back into her chair, Tamaki glanced back. The boy didn't even seem to realize that his phone had been moved.

Kuroko smiled. Her first test was a success. That was an excellent sign. Now, she just had to figure out to do that in a basketball game.

* * *

Practice often brought about scrimmage games. This gave Kuroko plenty of time to practice her new technique. While she often struggled to keep up physically, she delighted in rushing down the court. It was such a rush to hear the squeaking of sneakers on the floorboards. Tamaki had to force herself to focus on her experiments.

Defense proved to be an easy adjustment for her. Stealing the ball during passes and rushes was rather simple, and the boys struggled to adjust to her change in strategy. Despite intercepting the ball many times during their games, they had yet to adapt to her attempts to misdirect them. Eventually, they should have taken notice of her stealth tactics, yet they still seemed to underestimate her.

While her defensive strategy only took a few days to create, offensive tactics proved to be more difficult. Screening directly often hurt her, so she had to slowly find a way to block the defenders without getting run over. Passing proved difficult as well. Getting the attention of her teammates was a challenge. When she did, her passes weren't as smooth as she wanted.

For a month, she worked during regular practice and training with Aomine on developing her offensive tactics. Daiki helped her find the right angle to trip up her screen target without getting killed. Slowly, her passes developed to the point where she could catch and throw the ball without a delay. Aomine seemed to enjoy passing to her for alioops.

After dozens of practice hours, Kuroko found her first success. Upon screening for the point guard, Tamaki made eye contact with her teammate. Rolling around Kuroko held her hands out expectantly. Just like she predicted, the boy tossed the ball into her hands. Without letting the others settle their attention onto her, she passed the basketball to an open receiver. Shocked that he suddenly received the ball, he paused for a few seconds before shooting the ball into the basketball.

While her teammates celebrated, Kuroko looked down at her hands. That was it. She finally found her first success. Tamaki crushed down any joy which popped up, though. Her misdirection was far from perfect. She had a lot of work to do before she could approach Akashi with her style of basketball.

* * *

"Hey, you have a visitor, Akashi!"

The crimson haired boy turned around to see Kuroko Tamaki standing off the sideline of the court. Smiling, he made his way from the other players on first string. He ignored his comrades' whispering in order to address the girl, "Hello, Kuroko-san. You made me wait. I thought that you wouldn't make it by the end of the season. Did you find your answer?"

"I have," Kuroko's eyes burned with resolve. "My style is ready for demonstration, but it's only effective in an actual game. Is there any way for me to show you that way?"

Akashi smiled, "Very well. I think that I can arrange something."

* * *

"In order to avoid drawing too much suspicion, it's been decided to combine second and third string practice today," Akashi explained to the girl.

"I see," Kuroko eyed the first string coach and captain from across the gym.

"This is a test. Third string vs second string. Five on five. Just as you requested," Akashi noted. "I stuck my neck out for this. I was met with a lot of skepticism when I mentioned that a player in third string could be of use in first string. Even more so when I told them about you. Let me say this, your team has to win. As it stands, third string has no way of matching up to second string. They will definitely lose without some kind of outlier. If you show that you're good enough to drag your team past their limits, then you will get our couch's attention. If you lose, though, even by a single point…it will be over. You will never get a chance again."

Kuroko adjusted her wristbands, "I understand. I swear that I won't let you down."

Akashi nodded, "Good luck."

As she stepped onto the court, Kuroko felt the pressure pile on her back. The gazes of the first string management were firmly locked onto her. She could feel their judgement. If she messed up here, then her dreams were over. Despite the stress, though, Kuroko didn't even feel sweat in her palms. This was it. All the effort until now would show its fruit. Both Aomine and Akashi believed in her, and Kuroko would rather die than fail to live up to their expectations.

Once the scrimmage initiated, Kuroko went into the flow of the game. Her opponents got the ball first, as expected. The second string immediately moved to initiate their practiced offense. Using her lack of presence, Tamaki rushed to the recipient of a pass. With her enemy barely noticing her, she reached to grab the ball and knock it into the hands of her teammate.

With everyone, even her own teammates, wondering what occurred, Kuroko slinked back into the back of their thoughts by hiding behind the man from whom she just stole the ball. Now that the basketball was in her team's possession, the ten players on the court rushed to the other basket. Her defensive guard quickly lost track of her. Gaining the attention of the point guard, Kuroko redirected a pass to the center below the basket. Giving a shriek, the player shot the ball up and in for a layup.

"What the hell?!" one of the second string players shouted.

Another bench player voiced his own opinion, "No way third string could get the first points! You were supposed to guard him!"

"I-I was, but the ball just came out of nowhere!"

As the other players bickered, Kuroko reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow. Going at such a high pace right at the start would completely exhaust her by the end of the scrimmage, but she could accept that. Now was definitely time to go all out. Using her opponents' distraction, Kuroko snuck a peak off the court. Her judges were staring with open mouths in shock. Akashi didn't look surprised in the least, though. If Tamaki had had to describe the smile on his face, she would think of it as excited.

Quickly bringing her attention back to the game, Kuroko shook her head. She could not let her focus linger off the scrimmage. They could easily lose the lead that she helped gain. No way Tamaki was going to let that happen. Third string would win the scrimmage decisively. Kuroko would make sure of it.

Her words proved true. Third string beat second string by a solid ten points. Completely exhausted, Kuroko slumped onto the benches to get off her trembling legs. At her limit, she could only barely focus on how Akashi was talking with his coach and captain. Part of her wanted to approach them, but she knew better. She would find out soon if her style impressed them or not.

* * *

"As of this day, Kuroko Tamaki will move up to first string."

Kuroko stared at the third string coach with wide eyes. Her teammates quickly voiced their shock and displeasure at getting passed up by a small girl. She paid them no attention, though. Her mind was focused on not letting herself collapse to the floor.

"Silence!" their coach shouted. "It's already been decided! In case you didn't notice, Kuroko was the only reason you beat the second string the other day. The director has decided that her show of ability proved that she belonged with the starters. If you have any complaints, go to him."

The entire third string was silent.

"I thought so," the third string coach shook his head. "Instead of complaining, you should all work your asses off to improve like Kuroko did. Let's start with suicides! I want ten of them right now! The last one to finish has to do two more!"

Groaning, the players rushed to obey their coach. Out of instinct, Kuroko moved to follow them. Her thoughts focused on not being the one to do the extra sprints. She stopped when the coach called out to her.

"Where are you going, Kuroko?"

Tamaki turned to give the man a questioning look.

"You're no longer under my command," he explained. "Starting tomorrow, you're on the first string. Go home and get some rest. You're going to need it for tomorrow, because they're going to make my training look easy. I have no doubt that you'll long for the days of such simple workouts."

Kuroko nodded, "I understand. I'll go get my stuff."

Turning, Tamaki moved to leave. Before she could, though, her coach said one last thing to her, "Oh, and Kuroko…I'm not above admitting when I'm wrong. You got to first string without a word of encouragement from me. Shoving my own words down my throat like that…You're one hell of a player. You should be damn proud."

Kuroko turned to eye the coach. His eyes shined in acknowledgement of all the work she put in to accomplish this, "Hai. I am proud. Thank you for everything."

"I didn't do anything," he sighed. "That's what makes it even worse. Next time, I won't just dismiss someone like you. Maybe the love of the game really can take a person to the top."

"Hai," Kuroko continued her trek to leave the third string court for her final practice with the bench warmers. "I believe so too."

Once she was back in the girl's locker room, Tamaki moved past her locker to a sink. A quick look around revealed that she was definitely alone. She stared at her image for a few seconds before releasing the emotions that she held in since the announcement was made. Tamaki reached a hand up to cover her mouth. Tears gushed from her eyes. Joy rushed through her whole body. She had to use her other hand to grip the sink in order to keep her from collapsing.

"I did it," Kuroko gasped between her smothered sobs of joy. "I can't believe it. First string…I did it."

* * *

"Is…Kuroko-kun here?" a pretty, pink haired spoke out to the third string gym. "I'm supposed to take him to meet the starters."

"I am Kuroko," Tamaki spoke up from directly beside the girl. "But I am a girl, you know."

"EH?!" Momoi Satsuki jumped at having the other girl appear right beside her. "When did you get here?!"

"I was here the whole time."

"R-Really? Wait…You're Kuroko?" Momoi looked down at her clipboard. "Tamaki…I guess that I should have looked at your first name, Kuroko-chan. Um, is this right? This says that you're playing with the boy's first string team."

"Hai. It's true," Kuroko bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

Momoi fought the borderline sneer forming on her face upon seeing the other girl. While not overly vain, Satsuki was well aware of her own attractive looks. Boys never let her forget about it, after all. Kuroko Tamaki was the exact opposite of her. The bluenette lacked presence and charisma. Her hair was short and boyish. Only a tiny hint of muscle showed on her thin and underdeveloped frame. Momoi's keen eye told her that this little girl wasn't someone that could gain the attention of anyone, let alone…

"Woah," Momoi giggled. "You actually got Dai-chan's attention? He mentioned you before, but he never spoke of…this."

"Aomine-san practiced with me," Kuroko explained. "Without him, I wouldn't have made it this far."

"Well…whatever," Momoi shrugged. "If this is a prank, I'm putting the blame on Dai-chan. Let's go, Kuroko-san."

"Hai."

* * *

The reaction to Kuroko by the starters wasn't any better than Momoi's. Upon being introduced, almost all the players stared judgmentally at the bowing girl. An incredibly tall middle schooler with long purple hair stepped forward to speak.

"Is this a joke?" Murasakibara Atsushi questioned.

"No, it's not Murasakibara," the team captain ran his hands through his dark locks. "Kuroko-san will be a part of first string now. Don't give her any special treatment."

"You passed the tests and got approval from the director?" the green haired Midorima Shintarō adjusted his glasses to better examine the tiny girl.

"Hai," Kuroko came up from her bow.

"There is no need to worry," Akashi spoke. "I have evaluated her potential. She will be an invaluable asset to us soon enough. Give her a month, and she'll be ready."

"Yeah, she'll do great!" Aomine nodded. "I know that Kuroko—Hey! What are you doing Murasakibara?!"

Kuroko blinked up to the man rubbing the top of her head, "Is there a reason that you're touching my head?"

"It felt natural," Murasakibara shrugged.

"Well, could you stop?"

"Hmm…" the giant pulled his arm back. "Well, I don't care as long she doesn't get in my way."

Midorima sighed, "I trust your judgement, Akashi."

"Hey! What's up!?" a boy with messy gray hair stepped into the gym.

"You're late, Haizaki," Akashi noted in disapproval

"Yeah, yeah. It won't happen again," Haizaki smirked as he accidentally bumped into Kuroko. "Ah!? What the hell!? Who's this little girl!? Don't tell me that she's the new manager! She sucks as eye candy!"

"I am Kuroko," Tamaki bowed to the rude boy. "I'm the newest member on first string. Please take care of me."

Haizaki stared at her before bursting out into laughter, "Hahahaha! You?! You got to be kidding me! You look like you'd break if I poked you too hard!"

"Hey! Kuroko is better than she looks!" Aomine glared at the other boy. "I know for sure that she works harder than your lazy ass. You better watch your back, or she'll take your spot."

Haizaki sneered, "I'd like to see her try."

* * *

To Kuroko's utter shame, she could not finish the practice. The third string coach had undersold the difficulty of first string training. Her teammates ran at a speed which exhausted her within minutes. The labs and sprints swiftly burned out her leg muscles. She was blown away by partner drills in which she had to drive towards the basket. Every scenario in which she was given the ball, it was immediately stolen by her opponents.

Halfway through the practice, Tamaki collapsed and began vomiting. It was only with Momoi's help that she made it to the restroom to compose herself. Once she finished emptying her stomach, Kuroko's body gave out on her. She leaned with her back against the wall. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't force herself to her feet. A quick glance to her arms revealed that her sweat drenched form was covered in bruises.

'This is my limit,' Kuroko thought bitterly as she took in the sound of her teammates still practicing.

Eventually, the noise of sneakers squeaking against the court faded to signal the end of the training. Aomine's voice echoed from the restroom entrance, "Tamaki-chan? Are you still in there?"

"Yes," Kuroko called out weakly. "Um…C-Could you come in please? I need some help…"

"Err...sure. You're decent, right?"

"I am."

Secure with the knowledge that Kuroko wouldn't freak out at him, Aomine entered the restroom. He quickly spotted the downed Tamaki. Waving off his concern, Kuroko asked for him to help her stand. With him supporting all of her weight, Kuroko made it to her feet, "This…is shameful."

"Hey, don't worry," Aomine reassured her. "Plenty of players have trouble on their first day of first string."

"Did you?"

"Err…"

"I didn't think so," Kuroko fought against the stinging in her eyes. "I want to play as equals on the court, Aomine-san. But right now, I'm dead weight. I wouldn't be surprised if the director throws me back down the third string."

"He wouldn't do that so quickly," Aomine argued.

"Yes, I still have time," Kuroko gritted her teeth. "I will improve. By the end of the week, I'll be able to finish practice. Then, when I'm used to that, we can do our overtime practice again…if you're okay with that."

Aomine scoffed, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good," Kuroko gained a tint of a blush. "A-And…um, could you help me get home? I-I don't think that I'll make it there on my own."

"Alright, but on one condition," Aomine smiled. "Promise to call me Daiki from now on."

"…I suppose that's fair, Daiki-san."

"Good. No going back this time, okay?"

* * *

Midorima eyed his female teammate as he passed her for the tenth time. The tiny girl was drenched in sweat and breathing harder than healthy. Despite her inability to keep up, she still finished every drill and exercise given to her. It was a significant improvement from the previous week, but she was still embarrassingly slow compared to the other first string players. They were ordered to finish practice with laps, and her tired body could only allow her to do it at a snail's pace.

Normally, he could easily overlook the girl, but she looked too pathetic to ignore. Once done with his laps, the spectacled middle schooler waited for her to catch up to the starting point. He fast walked to keep up with her current top speed, "Why are you doing this to yourself? This can't be fun for you."

"Can't…talk…" Kuroko panted. "Must…focus…"

Midorima sighed. He looked to the exit before shaking his head. Rushing to his bag, he pulled out a book before returning to Kuroko's side. As the girl trudged along, he walked beside her while reading. After fifteen minutes, she finished and collapsed. Now that she was done, Midorima snapped his novel shut so that he could speak again, "Now can you answer my question?"

"I…" Kuroko was gasping for air as she collapsed to her knees. "W-What was…the question again?"

"Why torture yourself like this?" Midorima inquired.

"Because…I love…basketball…"

"You…" Midorima said his words slowly as if he were tasting them, "do it because you love basketball?"

"Yes," Kuroko tilted her head to the side. "Don't you?"

"I…suppose," Midorima sighed. "Not as much as you, though. I don't think I know if anyone does considering what you put yourself through."

"I see," Kuroko shakily forced herself up. "Then I suppose I'm just different."

Midorima turned away, "That I can agree on."

* * *

"What the hell are you eating?"

Kuroko looked up from her little corner of the school to see Murasakibara staring at her. A bag of candy stood in his large hands. She tilted her head in confusion, "My lunch. Why?"

"I could smell it from across the building," Murasakibara grimaced. "I thought that someone had died, so I came to investigate. Imagine my surprise when I see the invisible girl from my team eating some monstrosities to mankind."

Kuroko looked at the carefully constructed lunch of fresh vegetables, vitamins, and juices, "I need the proper nutrition in order to help recover from practices. If I follow a strict eating schedule, I can have the best possible health so that I can improve in basketball."

"Is that so?" Murasakibara popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth. "That has to suck. I feel like vomiting just being close to it."

"Yes, it is not the best tasting meal, but it is necessary," Kuroko noted. She gained a small pout. "Could you not eat candy like that around me? I already have cravings for milkshakes as it is."

"Whatever," Murasakibara turned away. "You know, some sweets wouldn't kill you."

"Maybe, but I want my progress to be as swift as possible," Kuroko shook her head. "I can have a reward once I can contribute in a game."

Murasakibara snorted, "Then you'll eat that crap forever."

* * *

Kuroko groaned as she pushed herself to get ready for school. Mornings were always hard. Her sore muscles often screamed at her for the abuse she put them through. Nevertheless, she pushed on to continue her schedule. Tamaki refuse to be lazy until she got the results she wanted.

"Hmm?" Kuroko blinked as she finished putting on her uniform. Something was odd. Moving to the mirror, she glanced at herself to realize what had changed. She ordered her uniform to be loose and baggy, but that wasn't the case anymore. What was once loose was now tight, especially in her chest and hip area.

Tamaki frowned. She hated puberty. Her periods were had enough on her when she had to do a lot of running. Things were even worse with her training and dieting having a significant influence on her muscles. Shaking her head, Kuroko moved to grab a jacket. She felt weird being so exposed. It would be best to get a bigger uniform before other people saw through her lack of presence.

* * *

"Momoi-san?"

"EH?!" Momoi jumped and turned around to see the other girl. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I apologize," Kuroko bowed. "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"Fine, fine," Momoi released a breath. "Do you need something?"

"Um, yes," Kuroko shifted uncomfortably. "You're the manager, correct?"

"Yep. Why?"

"Well, I would hate to ask for special treatment, but…" Kuroko blushed. "I could use some help. Y-You see…I'm having some issues with chaffing and things rubbing together. Along with…other things."

"Oh…" Momoi's eyes widened. "Oooooooh…"

"Yes. Considering that you are a girl, I thought it would be most appropriate to ask you," Kuroko pressed her fingers together in embarrassment.

Momoi suddenly found herself overwhelmed. She considered the girl plain before, but right now, Tamaki looked completely adorable. Part of her wondered when that happened, "Sure, I can help, Kuroko-chan. Let's go shopping after practice."

"Thank you, Momoi-san," Kuroko bowed.

Momoi's eyes danced with excitement with the thoughts of dressing up the adorable girl, "We can also get you some more cute outfits. Oh, and some makeup! Some lipstick would really make you stand out more. You have naturally pouty lips, Kuroko-chan. I'm jealous."

"Err…thank you, but I don't really want to stand out," Kuroko mentioned. "Plus, any makeup I put on would start to run rather quickly with how much I sweat during practice."

Her words were lost on Momoi, though. The pinkette continued to speak on end about things which would help her look cuter. Kuroko was fine with most of it, but she got worried when the other girl mentioned that she would look cute with cat ears.

* * *

Kuroko finished her laps before collapsing onto her knees. With practice over, she finally allowed herself to rest. Tamaki still finished practice drenched in sweat and completely exhausted, but she was slowly improving her finish time every day. One day, she would finish at the same time as—

"Well done," Midorima spoke.

Tamaki looked up to see the spectacled boy giving her an approving look, "E-Excuse me?"

"You kept up," Midorima noted.

"I…did?" Kuroko looked around to see that the other players had just recently finished their laps as well.

"I'm not surprised that you didn't notice," Midorima adjusted his glasses. "You were really focused during your run. You were beside me the whole time. I didn't even have to slow down."

"Yes," Kuroko pushed herself up onto shaky legs. "Finally."

"Well done," Midorima stated in acknowledgement. "You continue to impress, Kuroko-san. As always, Akashi was right. One month. It's astounding."

* * *

Aomine grinned, "You can do overtime practice again?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "I have adapted enough to first string practice to train with you again, Daiki-san."

"Awesome!" Aomine pumped his fist. "I can't wait to try out some ideas with you! If we can implement your passes with my jumps, our opponents couldn't stop us."

Kuroko nodded, "Yes. I look forward to playing with you in an actual game."

"Yeah, it will be great…" Aomine paused. "Wait…since when did you wear earrings?"

"Oh?" Kuroko reached a hand up to remove the butterfly earrings. "Momoi-san took me out shopping to help me buy things that would…help in practice for a girl. She insisted on me getting some 'cute' things. I didn't want to go through the trouble of getting my ears pierced and risk possibly losing practice times. So I just got clip-ons. I must admit that they are cute."

"Yeah," Aomine nodded. "You act so different from other girls. Guess that I sometimes forget that you are one."

"…"

"Um, Kuroko? What's with that look?"

"…"

"Oh crap, you're mad aren't you?"

"…"

"I'm sorry. It's just that…You know what. Better not. I'd just dig myself deeper into the hole."

* * *

Games were an exciting experience for Kuroko. While she never got to play, she did get to sit with the first string players. Most of the time, she cheered from the sidelines and enjoyed the game. One day, she hoped to play herself, but she didn't know when that time would come.

"Damn it! Where's Haizaki?!"

Today was that day.

"You're starting, Kuroko."

Tamaki's eyes were wide, "M-Me?"

"Yes," the coach's eyes darted to Akashi and Aomine. "I've been informed that you're ready. With Haizaki gone, I've decided to give you a chance. Don't mess it up."

"I-I…won't…"

The coach sighed, "You don't sound very certain."

Kuroko took a deep breath, "I will meet your expectations."

"That's better," the coach turned to leave.

Aomine immediately rushed over, "You hear that?! We get to play at the same time! This will be great!

Kuroko trembled in fear, "Y-Yes."

Once the game was about to start, Kuroko stepped onto the court with shaking legs. Just as soon as the game started, her legs gave out on her. She immediately tumbled to the floor and gave herself a bloody nose.

* * *

Kuroko looked down in shame. Her debut game seemed to be a failure. Even when her bloody nose stopped, her coach refused to put her back into the match. She didn't blame him. Tamaki wouldn't play herself either. An entire season of busting her ass was wasted on a single moment of embarrassment. Shame seeped into her chest.

After the halftime meeting, the coach pulled her off to the side, "I don't think that this is going to work."

Kuroko silently lowered her head.

"You work three times harder than anyone else. I'll admit that, but its not enough," the coach shook his head. "If I put you in the game again, then there's a high chance that we'll lose. Winning is everything on this team. As such, after today, you're off the te—"

"No!" Aomine rushed in between them. "Kuroko deserves to be on the team!"

The coach sighed, "Aomine, this isn't about what people deserve. This is about victory."

"We can win with Kuroko!" Aomine argued. "Hell, if we're on the court at the same time, then we can dominate! Give her one last chance! If she fails, then I'll quit too!"

The coach frowned, "We gain nothing from losing you, Aomine."

"If you want me, we need her," Aomine hissed. "She'll awe you. I guarantee it."

"…Fine. If she messes up, then I expect your resignation," the coach turned away. "We can't be dragged down by sentimentality."

Kuroko looked to Aomine, "Why would you do that? I'm not worth it."

"Tamaki-chan, you love basketball more than anyone," Aomine's eyes narrowed. "After everything you've done for this chance, I can't just let you get thrown off the team. We're in this together now. Show everyone just what you got."

Aomine thrust a fist forward. Kuroko stared at it, "Um…"

"It's a fist bump."

Kuroko slowly reached her hand up to bump her fist into his knuckles, "I…won't let you down."

"I know you won't."

* * *

Kuroko was on the court. She didn't immediately give herself a bloody nose. That was a good start. Her team had the ball. Akashi dribbled the ball up the court. His sharp eyes darted around to see the possibilities on the court. Tamaki had the feeling that he was looking for her, but part of her just wanted to hide. Every limb on her body trembled in terror.

Once again, she was in a do or die situation. This time, though, it wasn't just her basketball dreams on the line. Aomine's place on the team was in jeopardy. If she failed, then he failed. The pressure was unbelievable. All she wanted to do was run the restroom and hide. She never had someone else rely on her like this. It was overwhelming. It was terrifying. It was…

Amazing.

This was basketball. It wasn't a one person sport. Teamwork was more important than anything. The weight of the entire team was on a player every time they were on the court. While the pressure was intense, it was also beautiful. Fight together. Win together. Lose together. That was the very essence of basketball.

'This is it,' Kuroko realized as she stopped shaking. 'This is basketball. I'm finally playing basketball. Not a scrimmage. I'm in the game. This is everything that I ever wanted. I won't fail now.'

Her body moved on its own. She slipped past her guard in order to get to get in Akashi's line of sight. The point guard immediately looked to her. His pass was fast. Her moves were even faster. The ball immediately moved from her palms to the basket in a way that almost looked like a curved shot. While there was no way for it to go in on its own, that wasn't the point of the play.

"Yeah!" Aomine leapt up to dunk the ball into the basket.

"Holy shit!"

"What was that pass?! How'd the red head kid do that?!"

"Forget the pass! That guy just dunked with ease!"

Kuroko received no acknowledgement from her opponents. That was fine. Akashi's approving look and Aomine's glee were more than enough of an award for her efforts. Moving to Aomine, she whispered, "Stay close to half court."

The boy nodded, and Kuroko began her plan. Just as her opponents were going to pass the ball back into the court, Tamaki jumped in to intercept the ball. Before they could realize what she was doing, Kuroko flung the ball back to the approaching Aomine's hands. He immediately ran it in for a layup.

"You idiot! Look out for other players!"

"S-She came out of nowhere…Wait, she?"

As they ran back to get into their defensive position, Kuroko looked to Aomine, "I won't hesitate anymore, Daiki-san. From now on, consider me your shadow. As long as I'm on the court, you'll become unstoppable."

Aomine grinned as she held her fist out. He immediately bumped it, "Hell yeah."

* * *

"You were amazing, Kuroko-chan!" Momoi gushed to the other girl. "I didn't know that you could play like that."

An exhausted Kuroko leaned back in her chair. Her limbs felt numb from the pressure of playing an entire half of a basketball game, "Thank you, Momoi-chan."

"See? I told you that she was awesome," Aomine grinned.

"Hmm," Momoi tilted her head to the side. "Well, I suppose Dai-chan can be right sometimes."

"Sometimes?! Like hell, woman, I'm right all the time!"

Kuroko smiled as she watched her friends bicker. Their team had won by twenty points by the end of the match. To celebrate, they went out to eat. Kuroko didn't purchase anything, as she still needed to stick to her eating schedule. Nevertheless, she still enjoyed the glorious feeling of victory. Knowing that her and Aomine's places on the team were secured, Tamaki just rested and watched her team celebrate. She didn't know how this moment could be better.

At least, that's what she thought until a cup was placed in front of her.

Blue eye blinked at the drink. She looked to who gave her the cup to see a retreating Murasakibara. He said nothing to her and didn't look back. A quick glance into the cup made her smile grow. It was a vanilla milkshake.

"What was that?" Aomine questioned.

"A milkshake," Momoi blinked upon looking at the drink. "I've never seen Murasakibara-kun share food before. Why would he do that?"

Kuroko let out a tiny giggle, "I think that Murasakibara-san is a man who speaks with his actions better than his words."

While her friends were still confused, Kuroko brought the milkshake up and took a long sip. It was the best tasting thing that she ever had. So this was what being a winner was like.

* * *

"Hey! What's up!?"

Akashi frowned at the gray haired boy walking into the gym, "You missed the game yesterday, Haizaki."

"My bad. My mom got sick, so I had to take care of her," Haizaki smirked, giving a hint that he was lying. "I was so worried that I forgot to call. Don't worry, it won't happen again."

"It better not," the team captain glared while stepping up next to the red haired prodigy. "Remember your place, first year. You're replaceable, you know."

Haizaki scoffed, "Yeah, yeah. So what happened in the game? We won, right?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you, asshole," Aomine growled. "But I guess I should thank you. Because you flaked, Tamaki-chan got to play."

"What?!" Haizaki sneered. "Then I guess that you barely won."

"Incorrect," Midorima shook his head. "We won by a serviceable amount thanks to Kuroko-san's abilities."

"She was less annoying than you too," Murasakibara grunted. "Maybe you should skip more so that we won't have to deal with you."

Haizuke glowered at the taller man, "You want to start something?"

"Oh?" Murasakibara looked at Haizuke like he would look at an interesting bug. "If I did, you wouldn't be standing right now."

"Please don't fight," Kuroko intervened. "It's not good for the team. Besides, we need to start practice."

Akashi nodded, "You're right. Now that you're able to play in games, we need to figure out the best strategies to implement with you."

As the other moved onto the court, Haizuke stared at the girl. Something was different about her. She changed in the few short months that he knew her. He didn't like it, "Kuroko Tamaki…bitch."

* * *

Unfortunately for Kuroko, her time on the team for the season did not last long. Her work to get on the first string took all year, and the national tournament was right around the corner. Despite her readiness, she did not get to play much during the preliminary games. Even when they drew up to the top of the bracket, she only played for a few minutes at a time to help enhance her teammates' abilities enough for them to get a comfortable lead.

Despite wanting to play, Kuroko did not complain. She patiently sat on the bench and supported her comrades. Surprisingly, Aomine didn't say anything either. He was usually her biggest advocate, yet he only said that they would get to play together soon. Tamaki decided to trust her light along with the team management. In her mind, she was a weapon to be used at the team's discretion.

Eventually, they made it to the final game of the season. Kuroko once again sat on the bench and watched. Her entire team was exhausted from the grueling several games that they had in such a short amount of time. Even Akashi showed his growing fatigue. By the time the second half of the game was about to start, they were behind and had plenty of players in foul trouble.

"This last half belongs to the first years," the head director of the team stated.

"Ha! Nice!" Haizaki sneered at his senpai. "Looks like we have to carry your sorry asses."

"Not you, Haizaki," the director noted. "Kuroko is going in."

"Her?!" Haizaki pointed to the stoic girl. "But she has barely played this entire tournament!"

"Duh," Aomine scoffed. "Does she look like her stamina could handle being played every day for a week straight? Even I could get the feel that the director was saving her."

"Aomine's right," the director nodded. "We needed her to be as fresh as possible, along with keeping her a secret. We're the most scouted team in this tournament. They probably know every hidden card that we have. Except for her. Her misdirection is key to victory. With everyone tired and in foul trouble, we need to amplify our abilities. The enemy won't have a clue either."

"But…" Haizaki gritted his teeth.

"Enough," Akashi narrowed his eyes. Even Haizaki knew better than to anger the red head. "This strategy has been decided for a while. It is our best chance of victory. That is all that matters."

"Tch…" Haizaki looked away.

The director turned to Kuroko, "I'm gambling on you again. Everything is on you right now, Kuroko, but you have shown that you thrive under pressure and scrutiny. Go out there and show everyone just why you made it to the top of Teikō."

Kuroko's eyes burned with passion, "Hai."

* * *

Kuroko rushed in for a screen. Akashi recognized her move and swung past her to leave the confused guard in the dust. Kuroko then rolled around to receive the back pass from the point guard. She immediately passed it to the open Midorima who easily shot a three pointer. As soon as the shot was made, Akashi shouted for a press. Teikō immediately found their men to guard.

Murasakibara's massive frame blocked the view of the play outside of bounds. His opponent immediately began to panic upon having his vision blocked. Upon seeing what he thought was an open player, he passed the ball. What he didn't realize was that the man he passed to was guarded by Kuroko. The girl borderline punched the ball back and into the waiting Murasakibara's hands. A roar sounded out from the crowd at the dunk which followed.

Akashi shouted out for a box and one defense. The team rushed back to ready themselves for the next play. Frustrated, the enemy's point guard rushed down to the court to find an open man. As his head whipped away from the direction of the ball, Kuroko slipped in to smack the basketball to her light. Grinning like a mad man, Aomine sprinted down the court at speeds that no middle schooler should be able to accomplish and succeed in the following layup.

"Time out!" the opponent couch shouted over the roar of the crowd at Teikō getting seven consecutive points in less than thirty seconds.

Running back to the bench, Kuroko couldn't help but smile. The director saw that and frowned, "Don't get cocky, girl. The half just started. I expect you to keep this up. If we don't win by twenty points, then I'm doubling the suicides you have to do."

"Hai," Kuroko hid her smile but couldn't stop the joy in her heart. Basketball was so much fun.

* * *

The final buzzer sounded with Akashi making one last three pointer to finish the game with an even thirty point lead. While their enemy collapsed in shock at being dominated in the second half, the Teikō team roared in approval and rushed onto the court to embrace the first year players. To Kuroko's shock, they all crowded around her to gush over her abilities.

"Hey give her some space!" Aomine pushed his way to the center of the crowd to swing an arm around her. "We did it, Tamaki-chan!"

Midorima smirked, "Give her space, huh? That doesn't look like space to me."

"Shut it!" Aomine shouted. "I've got a lot invested into this!"

Murasakibara let out a breath, "Aka-chin was the first to notice her, though. You psychic or something?"

"No," Akashi had a satisfied smile on his face. "I just have a good eye for talent."

"Hey!" one of the referees spoke up. "You still need to line up!"

"Come one, Tamaki," Aomine kept his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go."

* * *

Kuroko shakily held the large trophy, "Are you sure that I should hold this?"

"Of course! We all agreed to it," Aomine gave a thumbs up.

"Meh," Murasakibara stood behind her. He reached over to help steady the trophy. "Why not? I'd would just lift it out of frame."

"Besides," Midorima adjusted his glasses. "You probably wouldn't be noticed in the picture if you didn't hold it."

"Just accept it Kuroko," Akashi noted. "Bask in the glory of victory. We are at the top, as it should be."

Kuroko nodded. She held the trophy in front of her but made sure that her face could be seen. Staring at the trophy, she saw her reflection. To her complete shock, she was crying.

"What's wrong?" Aomine whispered.

"I…I've just never been this happy," Kuroko wiped her face on her shoulder to get rid of the tears.

"Well, get used to it," Aomine placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is what life's going to be like from now on."

Kuroko nodded and gained the largest smile in her life. This had to be the happiest moment of her existence so far. While she never got the chance to play Shigehiro this season, she managed to play basketball in a national game. Nothing could ruin this moment for her.

* * *

 **I found this story while looking through my old folders. Last year, I discovered Kuroko no Basket and loved it. My favorite part was the flashback showing the origins of the Generation of Miracles. Normally, gender bends isn't my thing, but this idea just wouldn't get out of my head. I wrote this just so that I could move on. At first, I didn't think that it would be good, but I liked it more after reading again a few weeks ago. Originally, it was a huge over 30,000 word chapter, but I decided to break it up by year for organization purposes. Next chapter will be out next week.**

 **Thank you all for reading and please remember to...**

 **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**


	2. Year 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Year 2

"Tama-chan?" Momoi stepped into the restroom to see her best friend crying. She flinched upon seeing the strongest person she ever knew sobbing. "A-Are you okay?"

"This is wrong," Kuroko hissed.

"What is?"

"Everything!" Kuroko scared the pinkette.

Momoi took a step back. Kuroko had never snapped at anyone like that, "I…don't know what to say."

"Of course you don't," Kuroko took a shuddered breath. "I thought that this would be just like before. The end of a long year justified by the end victory. This is the exact opposite of first year, though. It's the bittersweet end of the second year with the bitter part multiplied by one hundred."

"What do you mean?" Momoi quietly questioned.

"I finally kept my promise with Shigehiro, but it's wrong!" Kuroko clawed at the sink. "We were supposed to play as equals, but there was nothing equal out there! We destroyed them, and he hates me for it!"

"Tama-chan," Momoi covered her mouth her hands.

"Not just me. He hates basketball now. I made the person that first introduce me to the game, hate it," Kuroko punched the mirror. The glass cracked around her hands. Specs of blood dropped down from her knuckles to the porcelain sink. "Just like Aomine, Akashi, Kise, Midorima, and Murasakibara. Just like…me. I hate it so much right now. I'd rather die than play it again."

Momoi felt tears form in her eyes.

"What do I do, Satsuki?!" Kuroko began to sob once more. Her tears refuse to stop. "I spent my whole life dedicating myself to something I hate now! There's nothing left! How do I move on?! What do I do now that my greatest love is nothing but ash!?"

Momoi had no answer for her friend. Instead, she could only silently cry her own tears of mourning.

"Shit," Kuroko gave a rare curse. She moved over to the nearby wall and collapsed to the floor. Using her bleeding hand, she pulled her knees to her chest. Curled up into a ball, Tamaki sunk into her own bubble of despair at feeling completely alone in the world. For the first time in her life, Kuroko truly wished that she was dead.

* * *

Second year of junior high started off rather blandly for Kuroko Tamaki. Classes, while somewhat more difficult, were basically the same. Practice didn't change much either for her. While her teammates found themselves frustrated at Kuroko's lack of growth at her offensive abilities, Akashi assured her that her ability to complement the rest of the team was more than enough. Tamaki hated feeling stagnant, though, and continued to practice anyway with the always eager Aomine.

"Keep your focus on the basket and adjust your power accordingly," Aomine tossed the ball back to Kuroko. The girl went through her normal motions for a free throw and shot the basket. It bounced a few times on the rim before going in for what would be an extra point. "Oh? You're getting better at those."

"Thank you, Daiki-kun," Kuroko stated as her friend passed the ball back again. The young man beamed at her speaking less formally. "I think that this will help me contribute more. Considering my lack of presence, size, and gender, other players seem to foul me more often. With this, I can directly contribute to victory."

"Well, it's a good step. Nice to see that you're not getting left behind," Aomine watched her shoot. This time, she did not make it. "Hey, did you see any of the new recruits? I haven't really paid attention when Satsuki blabbers about them."

"Yes, I watched tryouts. The new first years seem promising, but I doubt that many will make it to first string this year," Kuroko wiped the sweat from her brow. "There's a second year that's really amazing. His rate of learning is unbelievable. I heard that he joined because of you."

"Me, huh?" Aomine frowned. "What? Is he a fanboy?"

"Maybe. I haven't really met him, but I do expect him to join first string soon," Kuroko mentioned. "Akashi-san wouldn't overlook him."

"Oh? What's his name?"

"Kise Ryouta."

* * *

"Woah!" a blond haired second year rushed through the gym to get right up next to Aomine. "I've waited a long time to meet you. My name is Kise Ryouta. It's a pleasure, Aominecchi!"

"Cchi?" Aomine scratched his cheek. "Well, nice to meet you, Kise."

"Glad to see that you're excited, Kise-san," Akashi stepped up next to the taller player. "I expect you to grow extremely fast to make up for missing out of first year."

"Err…Of course, Akashicchi!" Kise bowed.

"Now, say hello to your instructor," Akashi gestured in Aomine's direction. "It's rude to ignore people."

"Um," Kise rubbed the back of his head. "I just did?"

"Not him," Akashi shook his head. "Look beside you."

Kise did. Kuroko stared up at him, "Hello."

"Woah!" Kise jumped back. "When did you get here!?"

"I've been here the whole time."

"This is Kuroko Tamaki," Akashi explained. "She will be your personal instructor."

"Her? I thought a player would coach me, not a manger," Kise frowned.

"I am a player," Kuroko stated patiently.

"EH?!" Kise raised an eyebrow in shock.

"She's also first string," Aomine noted. "So you better treat her with respect."

"EEEHHHH?!" Kise's other eyebrow joined its brother. "Her?! She's in first string?! I thought it was tough to make it this high!"

"It is," Midorima spoke up from his shooting practice. "But no one works harder than Kuroko-chan."

"Besides," Murasakibara grunted. "She's probably the only one with the patience to be a personal coach."

"I hope that we get along," Kuroko bowed.

Kise scowled. While the girl was cute, he doubted that she would be any good at basketball, "Fine. Let's get this over with."

* * *

Kuroko knocked the ball out of his hands for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"What the hell!?" Kise shouted to the girl. "How are you doing that?!"

"You had another new opening," Kuroko explained. "There's a split second delay when you dribble the ball in between your legs. Speed that up, and you'll be fine."

"Err…Okay," Kise nodded. They had been practicing like this for a while. Kuroko guarded his offense and knocked the ball out of his hands when he was open. Each time, he corrected the mistake and improved. "Let's do it again."

Tamaki glanced at the clock, "Unfortunately, this is the limit for today. I have a meeting to attend. We can continue this tomorrow."

"Alright," Kise watched as she turned to go.

Kuroko spoke one last time before she disappeared into the girl's changing room, "You improved a lot today. I'm sure that you'll be a starter in no time."

When she was gone, Kise let out a sigh. The girl was an excellent teacher. He could give her that. No one had ever been that patient with him, and she seemed to figure out how best to teach him. Perhaps being around Kuroko Tamaki wouldn't be so bad. She was definitely the cutest instructor that he could have gotten.

* * *

"I apologize for being late," Kuroko slid into the seat of the library desk.

"You're right on time, Kuroko-chan," Midorima lowered his book. "How is Kise doing?"

"Rather well. His offense is definitely ten times better than mine already," Kuroko mentioned.

"Hmm…well, your shooting still sucks," Midorima stated ruthlessly.

"I'm aware. Maybe you could help me soon?"

"Sure, but let's focus on our homework for now," Midorima pulled out his textbook. "You said that you could use help with math, no?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "Math is evil."

"Math is neutral. The only fault lies in the people that use it," Midorima stated.

"Is Midorima-kun calling me evil?"

"Err…Sorry."

Kuroko gained a tiny smirk. She reached into her back and pulled out ragdoll, "Getting you Wednesday's lucky item definitely is a diabolical deed."

Midorima scoffed and reached for the item, "Fine. I'll admit that some math is evil. Kuroko-chan can't be bad after all. But I won't admit anything easier than calculus is evil."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Kuroko often sat by Murasakibara during trips to games. The taller man needed the extra leg space, after all. Their quieter personalities often led to pleasant trips where either of them could recharge mentally without worry of being disturbed. There were always exceptions, of course. After all, a Murasakibara without snacks was a grumpy Murasakibara.

The giant of a Japanese man glared into his bag of empty chips. He ate faster than usual and was now out of food. It was going to be a long trip back home from the game. That's what he thought, at least, until Kuroko held up an unopened box of pocky.

"I noticed that you were eating rather quickly today," Kuroko explained. "You might be going through another growth spurt, Murasakibara-kun, so I got you some pocky from the concession stand."

Obviously touched by her consideration, Murasakibara took the sweets, "Thank you, Kuroko-chan."

"You're welcome," Tamaki gave a tiny smile. "Don't eat them too quickly, though, or you won't have any other food until we're home."

He nodded. Just like she said, he savored every bit of the treat. It was probably the slowest that he has ever eaten, but it was also the most satisfying snack that he ever had. Things were even better when Kuroko fell asleep and leaned on him while he ate. That was definitely the best trip that he's ever experienced.

* * *

"And there we go!" Momoi giggled as she pulled back. "Much better!"

Kuroko blinked down at the butterflies decorating her toenails, "I still don't see the point of painting my toes. I always wear closed shoes. No one will see them."

"It's not about other people seeing them," Momoi explained. "It's about feeling pretty."

"I see," Kuroko did feel prettier. "So, is this what you are supposed to do at a sleep over?"

"Part of it. We still need to do your fingernails. Then, there's makeup, movies, games. Things like that," Momoi explained. "Why? Have you never had a sleep over before?"

"No. I didn't have a lot of female friends growing up," Kuroko wiggled her toes gleefully. "This is nice. Can…um…can we watch some basketball too?"

"Of course!" Momoi smiled. "We can do that while our nails dry. Then we can go bug Dai-chan next door and make him compliment us."

Kuroko returned the smile, "That sounds fun, Momoi."

"Tamaki-chan, we've known each other for half a year," Momoi chastised. "Call me by my first name."

"Um, okay, Satsuki-chan."

* * *

"Kuroko-chan," Akashi stepped beside the girl in the hallways. "I got the videos of our next opponent like you asked."

"Oh, thank you, Akashi-kun," Kuroko took the disc being presented to her. "This will greatly help me in the next game."

"I see," Akashi nodded. "You need to research your enemy's movements in order to properly use your style."

"Yep," Kuroko tucked the disk away. "It's not a big deal. I love watching the games anyway. It's a win/win scenario."

Akashi's lips twitched, "Do you think of anything besides basketball."

"Schoolwork," Kuroko shrugged. "But that's about it."

"I see…" Akashi smiled. "Would you like to watch the tapes together? I'll have to watch them anyway."

"That's right," Kuroko blinked. "Nijimura-senpai stepped down as captain because of personal reasons. It must be tough on you."

"Not really," Akashi stated. "I was going to be captain eventually. This just sped up the process."

"I see. As expected of Akashi-kun," Kuroko appeared impressed. "Well, I would definitely appreciate your input on the opponent's movements. You have an eye for potential, after all."

Akashi grinned in satisfaction, "That I do."

* * *

"Ha!" Haizaki knocked away Rise's layup. "Too slow!"

Kuroko watched on from the sidelines. She hummed as she turned her attention down to her notes on how to best improve Kise's technigue. He was unbelievably good as it was, but his potential was near limitless. With the right push, he could keep up with the other members of the Generation of Miracles.

Loud noises caused the girl to look up. Haizaki was kicking a downed Kise. Huffing, Kuroko rushed over before anyone else could intervene and bumped the gray haired boy's knees. Stumbling to the side, Haizaki whipped around to glare at the girl.

"You should respect your teammates, Haizaki," Kuroko scolded. "Soon, you and Kise will be playing in games together. Don't forget that we're all on the same side."

"Tch!" Haizaki was about to say something when he noticed the glares from the four other genius starters of the team. Going against Kuroko meant going against them. "Whatever! This guy better get good soon! He can't keep up with me at all."

Kuroko sighed and turned to Kise with an offered hand, "Are you okay, Kise-kun?"

Kise ignored her hand, "I didn't need your help."

"Perhaps," Kuroko kept a stoic face. "But basketball is a team sport. We need to stick together, or we'll fall apart."

"Whatever," Kise scoffed. "I still can't believe that you're a starter—Oof!"

Aomine had chucked a basketball at Kise's head, "Hey! Show some respect!"

Kuroko eyed Kise as he rubbed the back of his head, "I see. You need to see my real abilities. Understood. I know just how to show them. Let me speak with Akashi-kun."

Kise raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

* * *

"I can't believe that I'm at a second string game," Kise huffed.

Kuroko adjusted her wristbands, "It is the team's policy. We are all about victory, so two first string players are always sent to second and third string games. Considering that you need experience and I'm your tutor, this was ideal."

Kise rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

Kuroko turned to Momoi, "We are in your care, Satsuki-chan. Do you have any strategy to suggest?"

"Not really," Momoi looked over her notes. "Either Kise or you alone would be enough to win."

"Very well. I lead the decision of who the other three starters are up to you," Kuroko turned to the second string team. "I expect you to give your best today. If you slack off, then Momoi will report it to the second string coach."

"Hai!"

Kise blinked at the deference shown to Kuroko, "Woah. What's with that?"

Momoi giggled, "Kuroko loves to play basketball, so she often plays during second and third string games. She has helped many of them improve."

"Huh," Kise shook his head. "Maybe it's just me. She knows her stuff, but I can't imagine her in a real game."

"Just wait," Momoi noted. "You'll understand as soon the game starts."

* * *

"Well, that was productive," Kuroko spoke to the awed Kise as they stepped off the court with their ten point victory. "I'm glad the second string got some experience in. I have ideas to improve them. You too, of course. I think that I can convince Daiki-kun to help us too. Soon, you'll even surpass Haizaki."

"Yes!" Kise smiled at Kuroko. "I'm in your care, Kurokocchi!"

"Oh?" Tamaki blinked. "That was a quick change of pace."

"You're style of basketball is amazing!" Kise noted. "It's like you know what people will do before they do it!"

"Oh no, it's not anything like that," Kuroko shook her head. "It's more that I convince them to do what I want."

"What? What does that mean?"

"Don't worry about it. Shall we go?"

* * *

"Haizaki's quitting the team?" Aomine questioned. "For real?"

"That's what they told me when they gave me his locker," Kise noted. "He was on the way to the incinerator with his sneakers when I last saw him—Woah! Where are you going, Kurokocchi?"

Tamaki ignored her teammates and rushed out the door. Using all the speed she gained from a year and a half of training, she quickly made it to the incinerator, "Hizaki!"

The gray hair boy paused. He looked back to her, "You, huh? Should have known."

"I heard that you quit the team," Kuroko stated. "Why?"

"Why? Geeze, you're acting like you care," Haizaki sneered at her. "We're not friends, bitch. In fact, I hate you. Things got complicated when you showed up."

"So you're quitting because of me?" Kuroko frowned. "What did I do wrong?"

"God! You're so stupid! I hate that, idiot!" Haizaki glowered. "It ain't about you, whore. Just because you got everyone seduced doesn't mean shit to me."

"Seduced?"

"Here's the facts," Haizaki swung his shoes around. "I hate basketball. All it does is make me sweaty and tired. I'd rather waste time with fun girls. Ones who aren't like you. So getting away from this shit and all you condescending pricks is way better."

Kuroko looked down, "Is that how you really feel? I…I know that we don't get along. You're so rude to me, and I did take your time on the court; but we were still on the same team. We're—"

Tamaki was silenced by a smack to her face. She stumbled back and clutched at her face. Her burning eyes glared at him.

"There you are," Haizaki scoffed. "Don't think that I don't see how the tide is turning. You. Akashi. And all of them. You're terrifying. Not all for the same reason, but it's there. If I didn't know it was you, then I'd be worried about you getting revenge on me, but you're too sentimental for that. This will help that, I assume. There are just bad guys in the world, but I rather be this than be you."

Haizaki turned and marched to the incinerator. Once he tossed his shoes into the machine, he turned around to see that Kuroko was right behind him. His heart flipped in terror at the dead look in her eyes. Before he could say anything, the girl reached around to activate the incinerator.

"Hot damn," Haizaki let out a low whistle. "You hold a grudge, don't you?"

"I never want to see you again," Kuroko whispered. "If I do, then I will ruin you."

"Hehehehe, I knew it," Haizaki slipped away while carefully avoiding touching the girl. "Unwavering compassion for your friends, but no mercy for your enemies. That's the scary thing about women. I'm almost grateful to that bastard Akashi. I just might be avoiding a worse destiny than those who stay. Especially you, if you keep up that attitude."

Kuroko didn't watch him leave. Instead, she watched the shoes burn. Memories of all the times Haizaki mistreated her and other people rushed through her mind. Part of her wondered when she became so brutal to those that turned on her. Another part didn't care. She was weak before she was like this. Eyes reflecting the flames before her, Tamaki spat into the fire, "Good riddance."

* * *

"You believe in destiny? Right, Midorima-kun?"

Midorima glanced up from his school work to see the stoic Kuroko looking at, "I would believe that it was obvious that I did, considering some of the habits that the others mock. Why? Do you?"

"Yes. To some extent," Kuroko carefully spun a pencil in her hand. "I always thought that effort could maybe overcome fate too. My destiny was never meant to be a top basketball player, but I made it. Still, I can't help but wonder if all this was meant to be. You five are the most talented players that I've ever seen, even if Kise held off until this year. Haizaki-san stuck around just long enough for Kise to adapt too, even though he didn't care very much for the game. It's all worked out like it was almost planned."

"I can understand that line of thought," Midorima nodded. "But you never answered why you were thinking about it."

Kuroko looked away, "What is my place in this? What is the end result going to be?"

"Ah, you feel unworthy. Don't," Midorima adjusted his glasses. "I cannot image this team without you. I'm sure that the others feel the exact same. Do not worry. While things that are meant to be will happen, fate has smiled on your hard work. You're our vital phantom player."

Kuroko gained a small smile, "Thank you, Midorima-kun. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot. Here."

The girl handed the spectacled boy a small basket from her bag. Midorima slowly took the bag, "This is…"

"All of next week's lucky items," Kuroko nodded. "I thought that this would be a good way of saying thanks for helping me study. I hope it saves you some time."

Nodding, Midorima took the basket, "Thank, Kuroko-chan. This is…perfect."

* * *

Murasakibara sat in his usual seat on the bus. Oddly enough, he was not eating, even though he had food in his hand. He waited until a weight slipped into the seat beside him. Glancing down, he spotted Kuroko holding a few boxes of pocky. She offered them to the giant.

Giving a quick thanks, Murasakibara took the treats. He then handed the milkshake that he had been holding to Kuroko. She gave her own words of gratitude, before immediately taking a sip of her favorite snack. Even now, Tamaki often stuck to her strict eating schedule, perhaps more out of habit than necessity. Nevertheless, she always enjoyed the sweet taste of a victory milkshake after a game.

As the bus began to move, the two players with very different styles sat in comfortable silence. They slowly consumed the gift treats. Neither of them even shared a look. Instead, they went about their trip without any sort of interaction. To many, it would seem that they weren't on good terms. To them though, everything was perfect in the world during trips like this. Both Kuroko and Murasakibara were quite content with their silent respect for each other.

* * *

"This dress seems rather…flowery," Kuroko stepped out from her changing room. She wore a blue gown decorated with flowers.

"That looks great on you, Tama-chan" Momoi smiled. It had been her idea to go shopping. Kuroko reluctantly agreed in order to please her best friend.

"I don't know," Kuroko messed with the sleeveless straps of the dress. "I don't really think that I'd wear this much."

"Well, we all need special clothing," Momoi blinked. "Save it for when a boy asks you out."

"Huh?" Kuroko cutely tilted her head to the side. "I don't know about that. I'm not very noticeable."

Momoi eyed the other girl. Her training and healthy lifestyle had been kind to her. What had once been a too skinny girl was quickly growing into a beautiful woman. If Satsuki was being honest, she was actual a bit envious of Kuroko's toned legs and arms but knew how much work it would take to get such muscle, "You never know. Boys can sniff out an attractive girl anywhere."

"Attractive?" Kuroko turned to a mirror to examine herself. She frowned at her rapidly growing bust. They kept becoming an issue during practice. Soon, she would have to get a larger sports bra.

"Totally," Momoi stepped beside the girl. "Especially with your hair like that."

Kuroko eyed the blue locks which now ran over her shoulders, "I've been too busy to go get a haircut."

"You should grow it out more," Momoi encouraged. "It would enhance your elegance."

"If you say so," Kuroko shrugged. "I'll try it, but if it gets in the way of practice then I'm cutting it."

"That's fair."

* * *

"Alright, Kise!" Aomine held up the rag ball he made. "You ready?"

"Yep!" Kise raised his broom like a bat. "Do it!"

Grinning, Aomine tossed the ball to his blonde teammate. Kise eyed the ball. He prepared to swing when Kuroko suddenly popped up in front of him. She grabbed the broom with one hand and caught the rag ball with the other, "What are you doing?"

"Ah! Kurokocchi!" Kise broke out into a sweat. "W-We got bored."

"Then you should hurry up and finish cleaning duty," Kuroki released the broom.

"Oh come on, Tamaki-chan!" Aomine scoffed. "Don't be such a kill joy!"

"I'm not a kill joy. I'm an advocate for the team," Kuroko gave a smile that freaked Aomine out a bit. "If you kept this up, then there was a high chance that you would have broken a window. The coaches would then be forced to bench you."

"Err…" Aomine sighed. "Fine."

Kuroko noticed they're deflated attitudes, "There is a time and place for fun. Why don't we go to the park and play when we're done."

"That sounds great!" Kise beamed. "Right, Aominecchi?!"

Aomine's lips twitched, "Alright. That works. But geeze, Tamaki-chan, when did you become so bossy? You sounded like Satsuki there for a moment."

"Well, someone has to look out for you when you do something stupid," Kuroko noted calmly.

* * *

"Team unity seems extremely good lately," Kuroko mentioned as she and her captain traversed the halls of her school.

"Indeed it does," Akashi nodded. "It's thanks to you really."

Kuroko's eyes glanced to the redhead, "Me? I would have given it to Haizaki's departure. He was a catalyst for a lot of conflict."

"That has helped, but there's also a significant deference to you as well," Akashi stated. "While I lead the team, you are more of its core, especially emotionally. Strong abilities often equates to strong personalities. I get the feeling that there would be more than a few clashes without your mediation."

"Hmm…I don't know about that, but your judgements have yet to be wrong, Akashi-kun," Kuroko noted. "I will try to do my best to live up to your expectations."

"I know that you won't let me down," Akashi stopped and bowed. "We rely on you more than you know."

"Ah…" Kuroko bowed as well. "The same for you, Akashi-kun. I know that you'll lead us to victory."

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?!" Midorima rushed forward to his taller teammate. "I've been open for two minutes!"

"Ah?!" Murasakibara frowned. "Maybe I didn't feel like passing it to you?! I can score on my own!"

"Yes, but three points always beats your two point dunks, idiot!" Midorima hissed.

Practice came to a halt. All the players turned to look at the two starters as they bickered. Even the third year players were intimidated by the clash of personalities, while the coaches looked on with contemplation. The previous team captain looked to Akashi, "What do we do?"

"Don't worry," Akashi smirked. "It will be resolved shortly."

"Please stop."

Despite the quietness of the voice, Kuroko's interjection immediately caused the center and shooting guard to go silent. They looked down to the girl which sneaked beside them. Tamaki's hard eyes stared into their own.

"I think I know how to deal with this," Kuroko mentioned. "Let's have a match."

Just as she said, the Generation of Miracles had a three on three match. While Kuroko put Aomine and Kise on her team, Murasakibara and Midorima had Akashi. Whispers spread throughout the gym at the clash of two skilled teams. Surprisingly, the match didn't even get one point as Tamaki tossed the ball up for an alley-oop. Both Kise and Aomine collided in their attempts to get the ball. Just like the other players, they began to bicker.

"That was mine!"

"You kidding me!? Tamaki-chan always sets those up for me!"

Murasakibara sighed upon seeing this, "Woah…is that what we looked like?"

Midorima adjusted his glasses, "I feel foolish."

Kuroko eyed them, "Remember that we are on the same team. Murasakibara-kun, please pass to Midorima-kun more. His shots do get us an extra point. Midorima-kun, please remember that Murasakibara has constant pressure while inside the box. There are times where it would be better just to accept his dunks."

Both young men nodded, "Hai."

Akashi looked to the previous captain Nijimura, "See? It all worked out."

"Really?" Nijimura looked to the bickering forms of Aomine and Kise. "Looks like it just transferred to me."

"OW! My ear!"

"Ah! Don't be cruel, Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko firmly held their ears, "From now on, when I put the ball up for an alley-oop, I'll shout out who it's for. Does that work?"

"Y-Yes, Kurokocchi!"

"Fine! Now let go of my ear, woman!"

Akashi smirked, "It's fine. People learn in different ways, after all."

* * *

The season progressed rather well. No other team could keep up with the five second year starters, especially when the phantom sixth player found her way onto the court. Their year's climax came rather quickly in the form of the national tournament. Just like the games that came earlier, Teikō won each game by a large margin, even if the consecutive games took a toll on their bodies. No one on the team did as well as Aomine, though, who dominated the court.

As always, after their return of a game, one of her teammates escorted Kuroko back to her home. This day happened to be her partner's turn. The bluenette hummed happily as she walked behind Aomine. She was still enjoying her victory milkshake while looking at her cellphone. Shigehiro seemed to be doing well. They actually met at the beginning of the tournament and planned to make it to the final game to play each other in the climax of the season. Kuroko couldn't think a better way for them to fulfill their promise.

A grunt in front of her caused Kuroko to look up. Aomine appeared frustrated. She tucked her phone away and stepped up beside the man. She pressed her cold cup against the back of his neck.

"Woah!" Aomine jumped. "What's that for?!"

"You were acting weird," Kuroko went back to sipping her milkshake. "What's wrong?"

Aomine looked away, "You ever feel…discontent after a game."

"Nope," Kuroko shook her head. "Why?"

"I just…" Aomine struggled to find the right words. "Things seem off. There's no real competition. I crush everyone in front of me. It's boring."

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that," Kuroko noted. "I have a support role after all. Plus, I'm just satisfied with playing with everyone. I don't particularly think about the enemy much."

"Yeah," Aomine shighed. "Maybe I'm just being stupid."

"Your feelings aren't stupid," Kuroko stated. "We all have things that we want out of the game. You want competition. Don't worry, it will come."

Aomine gained a small smile, "You think so?"

"Of course. We're in the tournament with the best middle schools in the nation, after all," Kuroko mentioned. "There's plenty of more experienced third years to face, plus there's the people you had fun playing against last year. Wasn't there a guy from your elementary school that matched up to you pretty well during end of the last season?"

Aomine's smile grew, "Yeah!"

"You see. There's plenty of people out there will make you push yourself to you limits. Don't get too big of a head. You're not that good, Daiki-kun."

* * *

The tournament progressed as normal. Teikō continued to win every game by a rather large amount of points. Things seemed fine at first, but the more they played, the more Aomine became frustrated. No one could keep up with him. He continued to dominate every opponent in front of him until it got to the point that they just gave up.

Aomine's old friend gave him a dead look, "Are you mocking me? A guy that could take you on…No one like that exists. You're a monster."

Daiki's body went numb. He only ran the court down by using muscle memory. Motion to the side drew his attention to Kuroko. She held up her fist. Her eyes stared at him expectantly.

"Tamaki-chan…" Aomine moved past her, completing ignoring her gesture. "You were wrong. I don't think that I'll find what I'm looking for. The only one that can beat me…is me."

Kuroko froze. Her partner kept moving, though. He didn't look back. Even as her teammates yelled at her, she continued to stay still. Aomine, one of the few people to have believed in her from the start, had abandoned her.

* * *

"I'm not feeling well," Kuroko stood in front of the coach. "Could I sit on the bench for this game?"

The entire team looked at her in complete shock. Kuroko never asked to sit out. She played basketball every chance that she got. Even when she was exhausted, she insisted on playing the game she loved. The head coach looked at her with narrowed eyes. He could see that she did look abnormally pale. The bags under her eyes made her look extremely ill, "Very well. It must be bad if you're saying it. Do you need to go home?"

"No. I won't abandon the team," Kuroko insisted. "I just…need to rest for a bit. I'll be okay by the next game."

"Okay."

Nodding, Kuroko turned away. She ignored her friend's questioning looks and made her way past the curtain they set up to give her a tiny bit of privacy while changing. Upon getting clear of everyone's sights, she pulled out her phone. Shigehiro had just called her. His team lost. They wouldn't be in the finals. Now, she didn't even had that to look forward to. Gripping the phone tightly, she hunched over and attempted to hold down the vomit which threatened to crawl up her throat.

Everything seemed so wrong.

* * *

"Are you okay to play today?" Akashi stepped beside Kuroko.

"Yes," Tamaki answered. She continued to look off in the distance. "I won't let the team down. I'm sorry about before."

Akashi took a deep breath, "Daiki…will come around, I assure you. The director will speak with him and things will be fixed.

"Yeah," Kuroko nodded.

"You don't look reassured," Akashi noted.

"That's because I don't really know if that will help," Kuroko noted. "There's a reason that I didn't try to fix this. Daiki-kun seemed…broken. I didn't know what I could say when I was already proven wrong."

"I…" Akashi's eyes danced in thought. "I'm confident that you will find an answer. This is you, after all. I think that the stress of the tournament just made it difficult. Once we are the champions once again, then you'll figure something out."

Kuroko looked down in thought, "Yes…You're right, Akashi-kun. I'll worry about the tournament first. Then, I can help Daiki-kun."

* * *

Kuroko stared out to the court. The opponent specialized in forcing the other team into making fouls. Two of the biggest threats were twins. Her mind rushed back to previous conversations with Shigehiro. His team lost to a pair of twins. So they were the reason that Shigehiro wasn't in this game. They were why Tamaki couldn't keep her promise.

She gained a deep frown. Kise already had three fouls in the first quarter. One of them was for talking back to the referee, but that made it even worse. She tightened her fists to the point that her knuckles went white, "Put me in."

The coach looked to her, "Excuse me?"

"Put me in, and I will crush them," Kuroko's eyes were harder than any of them had ever seen. "I know how to counter them."

The team director stroked his chin, "Very well. I expect nothing less then."

Nodding, Kuroko removed her warmup jacket. As she checked in and stepped by Kise, she whispered, "Don't worry. They'll pay."

Kise gave her a side glance before nodding, "Hai, Kurokocchi. I know that you can do it."

The crowd and other team didn't seem as secured, though.

"What? Is that a girl?"

"Is Teiko giving up?"

"This is weird. Who is she?"

Akashi saw the burning look in Kuroko's eyes. He knew that what they were going to see was going to be glorious, "Box and one defense it is then."

* * *

Kuroko immediately sunk into the back of everyone's mind. Just as usual. That was fine, though. Everything was about to fall into place. She would make them suffer for what they've done. Just as the point guard made it past the half court line, she moved. Tamaki stole the ball from the unexpecting dribbler. To everyone's shock, though, she didn't immediately pass the ball to a teammate. Instead, she rushed to the opposite basket.

Hissing, her enemy rushed to catch up with her. She let him. Spinning, Tamaki moved for a layup. Just as she expected, his enemy's hand smacked against her wrist. Even with the extra pressure, her shot proved true and went through the basket. Just like she thought, the whistle sounded out to call the obvious foul.

As she lined up with the free throw line, Kuroko met eyes with Murasakibara. She then looked up to a spot in front of the basket. He kept a calm face, but his eyes showed his understanding. Like she practiced for countless hours, Kuroko shot the ball towards the hoop. It hit the front of the basket and hopped back high into the air where she gestured to her teammate. Murasakibara followed it up with a solid dunk to change the possible three points from the play into four.

When they shifted positions to the other side of the court, the point guard kept his guard up more. He quickly passed the pall to one of the twins. The enemy red head smirked and moved so that he could force Aomine to foul him. His eyes widened when realized that a motionless Kuroko stood in front of him. Not able to stop his momentum, he rammed into her and forced her to the ground.

A whistle sounded out, "Charging foul!"

Before anyone could check on Kuroko, she jumped back to her feet, "Don't worry about me."

She moved out of bounds and passed the ball to Akashi. The point guard dribbled the ball down the court. He made eye contact with Kuroko and immediately passed it to her. She once again went for a drive to the basket. Instead of shooting, though, she passed it to Midorima who easily sunk a three pointer.

"Time out!"

"Since when can you dribble like that, Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara questioned.

"I could do it for a while," Kuroko noted as she moved back to the bench. "I just never needed to use it until now."

* * *

By the end of the half, Kuroko forced the enemy twins into foul trouble. She took great pleasure in seeing them drudge off the court. With them off, she took a break and let Kise return to his place on the court. Just like previous games, they dominated the remaining half.

When the twins returned for the second half, Kuroko went back in and forced them to foul out of the game. In her time in the game, she actually scored five points on her own. That was more than she had scored in every other game combined. Their victory had been decisive. After the ending ceremony, though, she slinked away before anyone could notice. She did so just in time to avoid getting caught up with questions.

"Who was the girl on the team?"

"Was she a secret weapon?"

"Did you specifically recruit her to encourage female athletics?"

The coach skillfully avoid revealing too much. He knew that his female player wouldn't want others to know too much about her. As this happened, Kuroko quickly changed and went to buy her regular pocky. Luckily, outside of the court, no one noticed her…except her own teammates.

"Hey," Aomine stepped beside the girl.

"Hey."

"You're mad."

"I am."

"So that's why you didn't pass to me," Aomine sighed. "Look…I can't change how I feel, but—"

"Don't. I understand now."

"You do?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "It's frustrating to not get what you want from the game. I get that now. Don't worry. I know that we'll find what we want next season."

"You think so?"

"I do," Kuroko remembered how Shigehiro promised to play together in the next tournament. "Just don't give up. Everything will work out in the end. I know it."

* * *

 **One more year left for Kuroko. Truth be told, second year is my favorite. I loved writing how Kuroko's relationships grew. But writing how they fall apart is good too.**

 **Thank you for reading and please remember to...**

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	3. Year 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Year 3

"You need to get some medical attention," Momoi held onto Kuroko to keep her from leaving.

"Let go of me," Kuroko pulled herself free and looked down to her bleeding hand. "I'll wrap it up on my own. I just need to get out of here."

"Tama-chan," Momoi gave Kuroko a hurt look. "D-Don't you want to be part of the ending ceremony? Or be in the picture?"

"No. I don't care," Kuroko shook her head. "I'm done with this team."

"B-But…"

"Look, I need to be alone right now," Kuroko walked away. "I'll text you later."

Momoi wanted to reach out to her best friend but stopped herself, "I-I'll see you next week."

She wouldn't. Kuroko didn't plan on interacting with anyone involved in basketball ever again. Pulling out her jersey, Tamaki pressed it to her bleeding knuckles. With her normal stoic features back in full force, she slipped out of the stadium and into the crowds. Everyone ignored her, just like always. Once again, she was nothing. This time, though she didn't even have dreams for the future to keep her going.

* * *

Kuroko's eyes darted over the book in her hands. Nodding, she put it down on the floor and picked up the basketball at her feet. Taking a deep breath, she dribbled to the basket. Her focus spread through each individual muscle. Her body leapt up for a layup. Once the ball drifted into the basket, she landed and checked herself. No heavy breathing. No sweat. No burning muscles. Good start.

"Body control?" Akashi's voice sounded from behind her.

Kuroko turned to see her captain holding her book, "I wish to contribute more. If I can find ways to burn less stamina, then I might be of use longer in games."

"I see," Akashi eyed her. "Is that why you're practicing on a rest day?"

Kuroko nodded, "If I stop training, I'll weaken. I need to keep practicing in order to keep up with you and the others."

"You're as dedicated as always," Akashi approached the girl.

"Only because of you," Kuroko noted.

"Oh?"

"Yes. If you hadn't approached me, then I never would have achieved so much. I never would have gained the friends and memories of my time on the team," Kuroko bowed. "I never said it before, I think. Thank you very much."

Akashi let out a breath, "You don't need to thank me. You did all the work."

"Hai, but you gave the guidance," Kuroko gave the brightest smile that he had ever seen on her. "You were the first person to every believe in me, Akashi-kun. I will never forget that."

Akashi had a small tint on his face, "You know…you could call me by my first name. We've been friends for years now, yet the only people you address by their first names are Daiki and Satsuki."

"True, if that's what you want, then okay," Kuroko gave the lightest of giggles. "Please take care of me this year, Seijūrō-kun."

Akashi smiled, "Tamaki…there's something that I feel the need to tell you. You see, when I first came to you—"

"Akashi-kun!" Momoi rushed into the gym.

The two occupants of the court turned to look at her. Akashi spoke, "What is it, Satsuki?"

"T-The director has collapsed."

* * *

"It's not life threatening," the assistant coach explained to the Generation of Miracles. "He's recovering at the hospital right now. Nijimura and the others already went to see him."

Murasakibara frowned. "What a shock…"

The assistant coach nodded, "It's unfortunate, but he won't be returning to his position as head coach."

"What?!"

He went on to explain that while the director had been sick for a long time. It interfered with his work time before, now it was too serious to remain in a stressful position. As such, he would be the new head coach. Ten of the second string players would also be moved up to replace the leaving third years.

"I'm sorry to place so much pressure on you, but it can't be helped. Regular practice will continue tomorrow."

* * *

Aomine rushed down the court. The defenders moved to stop him, but he easily slipped by them. In a show of disinterest, he passed the ball to Marasakibara. Said giant spun around at speeds unnatural for a man his size and dunked the ball with easy over his defender.

While the center seemed nonchalant about the ease in which he conquered his foes, Aomine grew irritated. Looking to his guard, he snarled, "Hey! Don't let me through so easily! Try harder!"

The newbie stepped back in fear, "I-I'm trying my best. Y-You're just too fast."

"What?! That's…Tch!" Aomine turned his back in frustration.

Kuroko watched him go. She tried to reach out to him but stopped. No, it wasn't ready yet. Soon, though. Soon.

* * *

"That was an impressive shot. Half court and it was still perfect"

Midorima jumped in surprise. He turned to see Kuroko looking at her, "Kuroko-chan! How long were you there?"

"Only just now. I came to ask for a favor," Kuroko stepped up to the ball and passed it back to the spectacled man. "Could you please take the shot again?"

Midorima did. It was just as perfect as before.

Kuroko once more retrieved the ball. This time, though, she walked it back and handed it to him, "As I thought. You can repeat it. Perfect, I wish to try something. Could you do it one more time?"

Midorima nodded. He readied for his shot. Kuroko stood in a relaxed stance in front of him. Just as he was about to take his shot, she reached her hand up. His eyes flickered to her without his consent. Like normal, it flew in a perfect curve. This time, it bounced off the rim and away from the basket. He gasped, "What?!"

"I see," Kuroko seemed pleased. "If it can work on you, then it will work on anyone. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."

"W-What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just drew your attention at the right time."

* * *

"Give them special treatment," the principal stated, referring to the Generation of Miracles.

"I…Very well," the coach nodded.

"Oh, and the girl on your team," the principal looked down at the paper on his desk. "Kuroko Tamaki. Make sure to keep her around. The press is gushing about how progressive we are. You won't believe the influx of female applicants we have. Many of them wish to start a girls' basketball team of their own."

"Well, that's understandable," the coach admitted. "I doubt that I could get rid of her if I tried, anyway. You have nothing to worry about."

"Good. Good," the principal tapped his finger against the desk. "Make sure to try and play her every game."

The coach's eyes widened, "E-Every game?! Sir, with all do respect, that's just not possible. She's skilled, but her physical abilities don't allow her to keep up with the others for long amounts of time. If she doesn't drastically adapt, there could be lasting damages. She could have knee problems as soon as high school."

"She signed her wavers."

"Sir!"

"Like I said. Put her in every game. Just like the others," the principal stated. "It's a perfect opportunity to show that we're an equal opportunity school."

"You…just want to use her?"

"If she didn't want to be played, then she wouldn't have joined the team in the first place."

* * *

"That was an excellent dunk, Atsushi-kun," Kuroko noted as they retreated to their own end of the court.

"Really?" Murasakibura watched their opponents trudge tiredly after them. "Well, I'll take your word on it."

"Murasakibura," Akashi spoke in a stern tone. "It's fine this time because you made the shot, but there were two people marking you. It would have been safer to return the ball to me."

"Huh?" the giant condescendingly looked down on the captain both physically and emotionally. "But I did make it, so it didn't matter."

Kuroko's eyes widened. No one ever talked to Akashi like that. She knew that Murasakibara was getting a big head, but she didn't think that it was this bad.

* * *

"I'm surprised that the coach put me in," Kuroko noted tiredly. "Atsushi-kun was on a roll today."

"He must be acknowledging your hard work," Momoi suggested.

"Maybe, but it's nothing compared to Atsushi-kun," Kuroko frowned. "His progress is a bit terrifying. It reminds me of Daiki-kun."

Momoi stared at her friend, "Have…have you spoken with Dai-chan recently?"

"Not yet, but soon," Kuroko noted with a clenched fist. "Despite coming to practice, his frustration only continues to grow. It's only a matter of time until he boils over. When that time comes, I have a plan—what's the problem, Satsuki-chan?"

"Tama-chan…" Momoi weakly held onto her friend's sleeve. "We'll always be together? Right?"

"Huh?"

"Everyone still loves basketball," Momoi gave a desperate look. "We'll still be able to have fun together, right? We won't just…fall apart will we?"

Kuroko started at her friend. She tried to find the right words to comfort the pinkette. Of course, they wouldn't be always be together physically. They would all likely go to separate high schools, but that's not what she meant. Tamaki smiled and did the only thing that she could do, "Yes, we'll always be together."

She lied.

* * *

Aomine freaked out on the weaker teammates again. In anger, he stormed out of the gym with the coach right on his trail. They were quickly followed by Kuroko. By the time she found them, she was shocked by what she heard.

"If you don't want to…then you don't have to attend practice anymore."

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

Both men jumped. They looked at the approaching Kuroko with complete shock. No one had ever heard the girl snap like that. The seething girl marched up to the coach, "You call yourself a coach? You're supposed to keep people in line, yet you tell him that he can just skip practice."

"Kuroko…" the coach muttered.

"Leave," Kuroko turned her back on him in disgust. "If you couldn't handle the position, then you shouldn't have accepted it."

"Tamaki-chan," Aomine looked down to the girl. His eyes widened when she grabbed him by the ears. "Ow! What are you doing?!"

"You're going back to practice," Kuroko ordered.

"Like hell!" Aomine pulled himself free. "Do you know what it's like!? Why should I practice when I don't need to?! Why go out at full strength when I'll crush everyone in front of me!?"

"I…I understand."

"No you don't!" Aomine argued. "How could someone normal like you understand?! You can't do anything on your own! In any one-on-one situation, you'd be destroyed! Let alone an entire team! It's the exact opposite of me! You need people, but I don't!"

Kuroko stared stoically at him. Raindrops began to fall from the heavens. They landed on Kuroko's cheeks to give her the appearance of tears.

"I envy you!" Aomine laughed. "If I were as weak as you, then at least I would have goals."

"I…" Kuroko felt her heart breaking. Was this how Aomine really felt? "How about a bet?"

"What?"

"You want a challenge, no?" Kuroko's eyes were pure ice. "I bet that you can't beat me."

* * *

"Five minutes," Kuroko placed down the timer and stepped onto the court. "If you can score five times on me in five minutes, then you win. I'll never say anything to you about practice ever again. If I win, though, then you'll show up to practice tomorrow."

Aomine scoffed, "Fine, but Satsuki can't annoy me either."

"Deal."

The entire team watched from the sidelines. They were all surprised by the shocking scenario. Kuroko and Aomine got along better than anyone. Yet, they were giving each other death glares right now. Common sense dictated that Aomine would crush Kuroko. Something about the situation made them all feel at unease, though. The look in Kuroko's eyes could flash freeze boiling water.

"Go whenever you're ready," Kuroko took a defensive stance.

Smirking, Aomine rushed drove towards the basket. Kuroko had the picture perfect defensive movements. She managed to stay in between Aomine and the hoop. When they got to the free throw line, she rolled her shoulders as a subtle signal of where she wanted him to go. Daiki followed the flow of her shoulders and threw the ball up to score. Kuroko moved away from him just as the ball hit the ring and bounced away.

It landed right into Kuroko's waiting hands. The entire gymnasium looked on with dropped jaws. Only the sound of the ticking timer signaled that time was still moving forward. Tamaki began to dribble the ball.

"Well? You have four and a half minutes left."

* * *

The timer ran out. Kuroko instantly knelt over and gasped for air. Sweat poured from her skin. Exhaustion made her legs feel like clay. She trudged over to the timer to silence it. With that, the match was over. Neither one of them scored.

"What was that?!" a slightly sweaty Aomine demanded.

"That was me keeping you from beating me," Kuroko noted.

"You didn't win!" Aomine shouted.

"I never said that I could beat you," Kuroko explained. "The deal was that you had to beat me in five minutes. That's as long as I can keep up with you one-on-one."

"How…" Aomine questioned. "I kept…missing."

"Yes. Think about it. We can play again tomorrow. You now have a goal," Kuroko gave her former partner a stony look. "Congratulations, Aomine-san."

With that said, Kuroko turned to leave. Practice was over now. She ignored her teammates when they asked what she did. Too tired to explain, she continued on her trek to the locker room. They could figure it out on their own.

* * *

Her secret was, as always, misdirection. It was something incredibly difficult to do. The only way she could pull it off was by using everything which made her invisible on the court. Her lack of presence, her small stature, and even her status as a female caused everyone to overlook her as a threat. Even those that knew her couldn't avoid falling into the trap.

A quick, sudden movement on her part would bring attention to her for a split second. It was as if a ninja appeared in a puff of smoke. Her enemies couldn't ignore it even if they tried. If she did at the exact perfect time, she could take advantage of her opponent's opening during offense. Their full attention moved to her and ruined the arc of the shot. Thus, she just caused her foes to fail by simply existing. As long as she was in eyesight, no one could score before her.

That was the first catch, though. If she was out of sight, the technique was useless. It was also pointless if she didn't have perfect timing. The final weakness was that the amount of focus and energy it took to keep it up was staggering, especially on a one-on-one scenario. There was no physical way for her to keep it up for more than five minutes without resting.

Aomoine quickly figure it out and tried new tactics, like over the back shots. Kuroko knew him better than anyone, though, and could predict his movements enough to always be in his line of sight. He had yet to score more than five points despite playing her every day for the past week. Things continued like until an outlier showed itself.

"I have a question," Murasakibara stated one day. "Why do I have to stay for practice?"

Everyone looked to him in shock.

"Mine-chin only stays because he refuses to lose to Tama-chin," Murasakibara noted. "I don't care about that, so why do I have to come to pointless practice?"

"Atsushi-kun…" Kuroko stared at the giant.

"Enough," Akashi spoke up. "I'm tired of this attitude. No one is skipping practice."

"Oh? I don't remember asking you," Murasakibara looked down on the other man. "The coach already said that Mine-chin could skip, so why not me? Is he special and I'm not?"

"Are you talking back to your captain?" Akashi glared at the center.

"Ha? Some captain you are," Murasakibara mentioned. "Tama-chin is doing more leadership than you. Maybe she should be in charge? Because I refuse to take orders from someone weaker than me."

Akashi's eyes sparked with rage, "Very well. How about a similar deal to the one with Tamaki and Daiki? One match. You and me. First one to five points win. I win, and you stay for practice from now on with no complaints. If you win, you get to skip practice whenever you want."

"Seijūrō-kun," Kuroko muttered.

Akashi smiled, "Don't worry, Tamaki. I won't lose."

* * *

Murasakibara was ahead four to zero. Akashi could do nothing against his foe's far greater size. He was dominated. For the first time ever, Seijūrō was going to lose. Sneering at his 'captain,' Atsushi rushed in for the kill. It would be over with one last basket, or it would have been if Akashi didn't snap. He stole the ball with ease. The center fell over without the shorter man even touching them. Within minutes, Akashi scored five points in a row to secure victory.

Frustrated, the giant kicked over the bench and moved to leave. Momoi called out to him, "Muru-kun!"

"Don't worry!" he called back. "I'll come to practice like a good boy. Just like I promised."

"No…that won't be necessary," Akashi surprised them with his team. "You don't need to come to practice. You can do what you want as long as you help us win competitions."

Kuroko's eyes widened, "Seijūrō-kun?"

"The same goes with Midorima, Kise, and Tamaki," Akashi stated. "As long as we win, I won't say anything."

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"During our game, I realized that practicing is pointless," Akashi smiled. "We are too strong. It's impossible to achieve unity again. Our performance will be much better if we act on or own."

"What's gotten into you?" Kuroko shook her head. "Don't listen to him, Atsushi-kun. I'm holding you to the original deal."

"Is that for you to decide?" Akashi tilted her head.

"Apparently," Kuroko narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to keep this team together whether you're willing to help or not. Everyone comes to practice."

Akashi chuckled, "You'll see soon enough. Teamwork within the Generation of Miracles is impossible. Trying to force it will only hurt you, Tamaki-chan. Just accept it. We are on a different level."

Kuroko stared at Akashi in disbelief. She didn't recognize him in that moment, "Who are you?"

"Huh? That's a weird question. I'm Akashi Seijūrō."

* * *

Kuroko had went through pure hell in her first year in middle school. She worked herself to near death to secure her position. It wasn't something that she would readily force herself through again, but there was one benefit for that time. The only person that she had to look after was herself. Hell, she also had people to help support her.

Her current situation was the exact opposite. She was running herself ragged trying to support the entire team. Every day, she pushed herself to her limits with training. Then, she also had to play against Aomine. Not to mention that she had to confront Murasakibara to keep him motivated, constantly bring Midorima to keep him from practicing his shots on his own, and repeatedly encourage a depressed Kise. Plus, the new Akashi didn't help.

In addition, the coach seemed determined to play her in every single game. Not just first string games, but second and third string matches as well. Both her physical and mental stamina were being pushed to their limits. Every day proved to be harder than the last with no end in sight. It seemed that Akashi was right once more. She truly was killing herself trying to keep up the teamwork of the Generation of Miracles.

"You're going in, Kuroko," the coach stated.

Sighing, the tired Kuroko pushed herself up from the bench and took off her warm up jacket. Momoi noticed her friend's fatigue, "Coach, please! We're ahead! Please give her a break!"

The coach clenched his eyes shut. He took a shuddered breath, "It's been decided."

"It's fine, Satsuki," Kuroko muttered. "I'm fine."

As soon as she stepped onto the court, Kuroko felt the fatigue rush over her. She struggled to keep up with the flow of the game. When on defense, she stopped every attempt of her enemy to score by using her Misdirection Block. On offense, she used her usual screens and passes to score quickly. None of her teammates acknowledged her work. She didn't blame them. Not only was she unnecessary, she didn't even want to be on the stupid court.

Boxing out one of her opponents, she reached for the ball. Her enemy went for the ball as well but completely blanketed her in the process. The referee signaled for a foul as she expected. With a sigh, she moved out of bounds to pass it back in to Akashi. As the point guard moved to their own side of the court, Kuroko followed. She trudged to the half court line then stopped.

From her position in the middle of everything, she watched her comrades work. Murasakibara easily scored. Only when the other players moved back to her did she move. On her defensive side of the court, Kuroko stood at the center of the box and waited. One of the other players shot the ball. A whip of her hand drew his attention to her and forced him to miss the basket. Aomine received the air ball and rushed down the court. He was followed by everyone…except Kuroko.

"Tama-chan?" Momoi stood up from her seat.

The exhausted looking girl stoically stood in her spot. She watched as her former partner scored. When the others returned to her, she didn't react. All she did was repeat the same process as before. By the time that Tamaki stayed back for the third time, the entire bench was standing and asking if she was okay. Kuroko's eyes darted to give them a dead look before turning away.

"No…" Momoi began to cry. "Tama-chan…no…"

The coach's voice hitched in his chest as the message became clear. Kuroko was fine physically. She just refused to do more. The emotional core…the only reason the team had even a spec of unity…had given up.

* * *

"You were right," Kuroko spoke to Akashi as they returned to the locker room. "As always, your judgement is best."

Akashi nodded, "I knew that you would see the truth eventually."

Kuroko turned her head up to Murasakibara, "I won't hold you to your deal with Akashi-san."

The giant looked away.

"Our deal is off," Kuroko muttered bitterly to Aomine. "Do what you want. I don't care anymore."

Aomine opened his mouth to say something but ended up closing it. Kise, however, was not one to hold in his comments, "You can't be series, Kurokocchi! You're not going to be skipping practice are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kuroko shook her head. "My training schedule will remain the same, but I'm done trying to keep track of you all. I'm tired of it. You're big boys. Just show up for the games, and I won't say anything."

Midorima frowned, "Is that your decision?"

"Why are you arguing?" Kuroko walked ahead of them so that her back was turned to them. "I thought this is what you wanted?"

* * *

"I heard that you gave up trying to keep your teammates in practice," the coach noted as Kuroko took a seat on the other side of his desk.

"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "I have too busy of a schedule to have an unpaid babysitting job as well."

The coach grimaced at this, "I…I've never known you to give up on something."

"I realized something during our last game," Kuroko had no emotion in her eyes. "I wasn't the one who gave up. This team gave up on me. If you want the others to come to practice, force them yourself. I'm done doing your job."

He flinched at the show of disrespect. Kuroko now often looked at him like he was scum, not that he could blame her, "Will you remain on the team?"

"Yes, I still have a reason to stay," Kuroko explained. "The reason that I started in the first place…"

"You know," the coach mentioned. "We have a female team now…"

"I'm aware. They tried to recruit me. I said no. I can't accomplish my goal on their team," Kuroko's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why? Are you trying to get rid of me? Is that why you were running me ragged?"

"No…I…"

"Well, I don't care anyway," Kuroko sighed. "If you're going to put me in second and third string games too, then I'll make the most of it. Next year, the Generation of Miracles will be gone. The younger players need to be ready. I'll make sure that they're fit for victory."

"You will?"

"Yes, as long as they don't fight me, I'll drag them up to a national level," Kuroko looked away in thought. Perhaps she could regain something of a real team with the lower players. "They won't be able to fill the shoes of our five starters, but they'll be more than enough for next year."

* * *

Aomine trudged down the halls after school. Practice would be starting soon. Instead of moving down to the ground floor, though, he was heading up to the roof. He planned to cloud gaze while the others trudged away in the gym. As he moved, he never noticed the cold blue eyes watching him move. Like everyone else, Tamaki was now invisible to him.

Kuroko watched him head up the stairs. She expected a strong desire to call after him, but there was no such feeling. Instead, her chest was hollow as Aomine stepped away from her without even noticing her presence. Eyes sparking with a frigid disdain, Kuroko turned away from her former light. She wouldn't ever search him out again.

* * *

"Kurokocchi!" Kise stepped beside the girl as she sat at her desk. "Let's have lunch together!"

"Okay," Kuroko didn't look at her former student. Her eyes were focused on her notes. "Pull up a seat."

"Nice!" Kise sat down at the desk next to hers. "What are you doing?"

"Looking over the notes I made on the second and third string players," Kuroko mentioned. "I'm crafting specific training regimes to help them improve."

"Just like you did for me," Kise smiled. "You're so reliable, Kurokocchi!"

"If you say so."

"Hey! Why don't you help me improve too!?" Kise suggested.

Kuroko shook her head, "That's impossible. You're past the limits of what I can improve."

Kise deflated, "Oh…"

"But I could use you," Kuroko mentioned. "Second string should get a firsthand experience on who they will be compared to next year."

"Well, that makes sense…I think."

"Hmm," Kuroko continued to work on her notes.

"What do you have on your knees?"

"Ice packs. I wish to avoid straining my joints too much, so I constantly nurse them," Kuroko explained.

"Woah…I guess you work harder than I thought."

"Hmm."

"Err," Kise rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, Kurokocchi, do you want to go on a date with me?"

For the first time since lunch started, Kuroko looked up from her notes. She stared emotionlessly at her teammate, "I'm sorry, Kise-san, but I don't want to date anyone on the team. I think that we should all remain professional."

"Oh," Kise looked away dejectedly. "O-Okay."

* * *

Midorima was studying in the library. His spectacle covered eyes darted over the pages of the text. He released a sigh of boredom before looking up. The seat in front of him was open, and he doubted anyone would be moving to occupy it any time soon. Within the silence of the tomes, he sat alone without anyone with whom to spark up a conversation.

His eyes darted to the ragdoll on the desk. There were times where lucky items were recycled. Today was such a day. The stoic appearing doll stared at him uncaringly. With a sigh, he began to pack up his stuff. He had to go buy next week's lucky items, not that they would do any good for what he wanted.

* * *

Murasakibara held a milkshake in his hand. He patiently waited on the bus for the others to board. Tama-chin was the last one to get on the vehicle. Her empty hands mocked his grumbling stomach. The giant of a Japanese man looked away from the only female member of the team as she walked down the aisle. With his eyes looking directly out the window, he listened to her footsteps. They drew close to him, and without the slightest hesitation, moved past to go further down the bus.

Biting his lips, Murasakibara fought the urge to look back to see who she chose as her sitting partner. It was probably Momoi anyway. Giving a grunt, he spread his legs out to take up the entire seat. Keeping his eyes firmly glued outside the window, Murasakibara brought the milkshake up to his lips and began to drink.

It tasted awful.

* * *

"Tamaki-chan?" Akashi approached the girl as she left the locker room.

Kuroko looked to her captain, "Can I help you, Akashi-san?"

Akashi frowned, "I told you that you could call me by my first name."

Kuroko stared at him, "Yes, you did, Akashi-san."

"Oh. You're upset with me," Akashi noted. "I thought that you realized the truth."

"I did, that doesn't mean I have to like it…or the new you," Kuroko kept her features emotionless. "What do you need, Akashi-san?"

"I was wondering which high school that you were going to attend."

Kuroko looked away, "I haven't decided yet."

"Oh?" Akashi smiled. "May I make a suggestion? Come to the same high school as me."

Her gaze darted back to him, "Excuse me?"

"Come to the same high school as me," Akashi repeated. "There is a high chance that the others will go to different high schools, but I want to be in the same place as you."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to be my side," Akashi reached up to gently place his palm on her cheek.

Kuroko eyed the arm currently touching her, "I see. Let me respond to your request with a question. Why in the hell would I want that?"

"Don't you want to be on top of the world?" Akashi questioned. "Together, we will dominate the high school league and who knows what else. People like us deserve to be above everyone else."

Kuroko scoffed, "People like us?"

"Yes. The gifted. The elite. The winners. That's who we are."

Kuroko smiled condescendingly, "You know that's not who I am. I was a scrawny little thing at the beginning of this. There was not even an ounce of talent in me. All of my skills come from hard work filled with blood, sweat, and tears. That's how I'm different from you, Akashi. You've never known defeat, but I've never known an easy victory. A real victory, at least."

"But I was the one that put you on the path to become this, no?" Akashi noted as he leaned into her face. "I approached you because I saw your potential. I knew that you could become great. The perfect phantom player. Without me, you would have never gotten to these heights. The Queen of Miracles. Just the person that I always envision by my side."

Before his lips could touch hers, she disappeared from his grasp. Her misdirection allowed her to slip behind him so she could whisper directly into his ear, "And that's why I hate you."

Akashi lowered his hand. He glanced over his shoulder to meet her gaze.

"Do you think that I enjoy this? That I'm satisfied? Because I'm not," Kuroko spoke just loud enough for him to hear. "You may have been the one to spark my rise, but you were also the one to take away my footing for the fall. All this could have been prevented, you know. If you worked together with me, then we could have kept the team united. We would have been together and content. Now, we're alone and bitter."

"Is this not better than what you were?"

"At least when I was weak, there was hope," Kuroko argued.

Akashi turned his eyes away from her, "So you wish that none of this ever happened? If could you could change things, would you keep me from ever speaking to you?"

"If I could change things, then I would keep you from becoming this," Kuroko took a step back. "You used to be kind, Akashi-san. You cared, but now everyone is just a tool to use. Even me. That's not how it used to be. Even when you approached me for the first time, you spoke to me as a player. Someone that could be your teammate. You even ignored your attraction to me because of it."

"Oh? So you knew?"

"Not at first. No boy ever found me physically attractive before," Kuroko sighed. "After I learned to read body language and learned from Satsuki-chan about things involving romance, I began to realize that I wasn't as invisible as I thought in that regard. It was actually flattering, especially with you. I figured that you kept silent because of team unity and your respect for me as a player, but you know…if the old Akashi approached me only a year ago as a man approaches a woman, I would have cried yes."

"I see…"

Kuroko turned around so that they were facing away from each other, "The place in my heart which once held love, now only seems to contain hate."

* * *

Her breath came out in a controlled exhale. She was aware of every bead of sweat which rolled down her brow. Her focus shifted among all of her muscles in order to control her stamina output. Kuroko's cold eyes moved across the court to observe the rushing players. She locked gazes with her team's point guard. Before the boy could even realize what he was doing, the ball left his hands just like she wanted.

Upon getting the basketball, Kuroko flowed into a shooting stance. Her opponent's ingrained muscle memory forced him to leap up to try to block her shot. With the boy high into the air, Kuroko dribbled around her current defender to meet the enemies within the box. They turned their full attention to her. A wall of long arms appeared before her and the basket.

Without changing her expression at all, Kuroko swung her arm around to pass the ball around her foes. The ball bounced right outside the line and into her teammate's hand. Kuroko shouted out for him to shoot before the enemy finished turning around. Knowing what would happen based on everyone's position on the court, Tamaki moved to box out the enemy right behind her.

Just as she knew would happen, the ball bounced off the hoop and towards her waiting hands. Like most people she blocked, the boy behind her tried to reach for the ball and ended up basically covering her. Only the sound of the referee signaling for a foul prevented her from getting crushed under her foe.

"Quit fouling her!" the opposing coach exclaimed.

Kuroko couldn't blame him. She had forced her opponents to foul enough to get bonus free throw territory. With the current rate of fouls, she would be getting plenty of free throw points while her opponents got into foul trouble. With practiced ease, she sunk her free shots. She then turned to idly jog to back into a defensive position

"I-I'm sorry, senpai," the teammate which missed the shot muttered to he when they made their way back to their side of the court. "I should have made that shot."

"Don't worry," Kuroko muttered uncaringly to the boy. "Now we know something to work on during practice."

The boy seemed reassured by her response. He rushed to his man while Kuroko faded into the background once more. Her eyes glanced to the timer. She would get pulled out soon by the coach. That was a good thing. She was really bored at these second string games.

* * *

Momoi sighed as she looked in the mirror. While her top and skirt were cute, she didn't feel the normal buzz of pleasure associated with shopping. Instead, her mind drifted back to problems involving her friend.

"Are you alright, Satsuki-chan?" Kuroko's voice drifted from the changing booth. "That's the fifth time that you sighed like that, and it's not your normal 'this is cute' sighs either."

"Oh?" Momoi turned to look at the door which hid her companion. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about how much this will hurt my wallet."

Kuroko's next words were laced with amusement, "Then why did you drag me shopping?"

"I thought it would be fun to hang out together," Momoi noted. "Don't you want that too, Tama-chan?"

"Of course, but we could do easily do something less expensive."

"True…" Momoi stifled her sixth sigh. "I guess that I just wanted to bring back some old memories. You used to be so shy when I dragged you to try on more flattering clothes."

"We all have to grow up eventually, Satsuki-chan," the door hiding Kuroko swung open. "What do you think?"

Momoi's eyes widened. Her friend stood before her in a form fitting black dress. Years of a strict healthy diet and harsh training had helped the once tiny girl grow into a stunning woman. A figure which could rival Satsuki's own body was only emphasized by the dark cloth. Kuroko's long, silky blue hair rolled over her smooth shoulders like running water. Her stoic features gave her a royal feeling of being untouchable. Even the beautiful Momoi was floored by the sight.

"Woah…"

"I take it that's a good reaction?" Kuroko stepped in front of the mirror. "Oh. It looks better than I thought it would."

"That's…not your normal style, Tama-chan," Momoi muttered.

Kuroko turned to examine herself from the side. She noticed how the dress emphasized the soft flesh of her breasts and rear before ending to show flawless calves built from years of sprints, "No, but I was curious. I wanted to see what the big deal was. Now I understand their thought process now a bit. This is what they see. If I wore this, I think that my lack of presence would be shattered."

"Umm…yeah."

"Then I'll put it back," Kuroko moved back to the changing booth. "I prefer looser clothes anyway. Besides, I can't think of a scenario where I would wear this. It's good to experiment sometimes, though. Now I know something that I didn't before."

Momoi reached out to grab Kuroko's toned arm, "Tama-chan…"

Kuroko gave her best friend a confused look, "Yes?"

"W—" Momoi paused as she thought about which question to ask. When did you grow up so much? What did you do to become like this? Why do you feel so unreachable? There was no point in those questions, though. She already knew the answers to them. "Um, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

For looking down on you when we first met. For not supporting you enough. For not controlling Aomine. For letting you suffer. For being a bad friend.

"F-For not saying how beautiful you look in that!" Momoi smiled. "You should buy it! When something fits perfectly like that, you can't just let it slip away."

Kuroko cutely tilted her head, "You have a point. It may sit in my closet and just be a vanity item, but sometimes we need things like that."

"Exactly!"

"Alright, I'll trust your judgement, Satsuki-chan," Kuroko nodded. "Let me change out of this so I can pay for it."

"Right," Momoi released her friend. Once the bluenette closed the door behind her, Satsuki placed her hands over her mouth to stifle her sobs. Tears quickly dripped from her clenched eyes. Regret lingered in her heart. It seemed like all of her friends from the basketball team had outgrown her, and all she did to try to fix it was rely on Kuroko.

'I'm so sorry, Tama-chan.'

* * *

"Shigehiro-kun?" Kuroko held her phone up to her ear.

" _Tamaki-chan! It's good to hear from you! I think that this is the first time you called me out of nowhere like this."_

"I just felt like calling an old friend," Kuroko lied. She stared numbly out of her bedroom window. "How has your year been? How is your team doing?"

" _We're doing fantastic this year. Your team should look out, because we'll be the ones to defeat the Generation of Miracles."_

"So you remember our promise?" Kuroko's voice sparked with hope.

" _What?! Did you think that I would forget about it?"_

"Never. It's been on my mind for a while," Kuroko gained the smallest of smiles. "It will be fun to finally play a match with you. I doubt that I'll start, but I'm sure to be in the game by the second half. The coach puts me in every game."

" _I've heard! It's over every newsletter about your school. They don't mention your name or show a picture, though…"_

"That's by design," Kuroko noted. "I don't care about any sort of fame. I just want to fulfill my promise with you, Shigehiro-kun."

" _That's the Tamaki that I know. It will be great. Make sure that your team doesn't hold back. I'd hate for you to use that as an excuse when we beat you."_

Kuroko pursed her lips together, "Are…you certain? My team can be quite brutal."

" _Hey, we're big boys! We can handle it."_

"I will keep that in mind, Shigehiro-kun."

* * *

"…Kuroko, what are you doing?"

"Reading," Kuroko stated without raising her eyes from her book.

"And why aren't you paying attention to the game?" the coach questioned. The eyes of all the other bench players and managers turned to the phantom sixth member of the Generation of Miracles.

"Are you putting me in already?"

"No…not yet."

"Then it is not necessary for me to pay attention," Kuroko turned the page of her book.

"And why is that?"

"Because I know what will happen," Kuroko sighed. "Aomine-san will get the ball next. He'll pluck the rebound right from Murasakibara-san's grasp."

Her words were proven right when that exact sequence happened.

"After he does an over the back shot for two points, Murasakibara will be irritated that his points will be stolen. He'll slam down the opponent's next shot and then rush down the court to score a dunk which will send his guards tumbling."

Once more, she was right.

"Kise-san will be upset that he's behind on his points, so he'll beg Akashi-san to give him the ball. Akashi-san will comply to let Kise go in and copy Aomine's move. They'll then bicker enough to let the other team score their first points. Midorima-san will be upset by this and score a half-court shot as revenge."

The exact sequence happened as she predicted. Everyone looked at her in alarm. Momoi spoke, "H-How did you do that?"

"No one knows those five better than me," Kuroko once more turned the page of her book. "When they are on the court, no other factors matter. The outcome is predetermined. My participation in any way is unnecessary. So until you decide that one of them needs a rest, then I want to do something productive."

The coach frowned, "Don't you think that ignoring the game is bad for team morale?"

Kuroko finally looked up from her tome. Her gaze made ice look hot in comparison, "Team morale? Is that a joke?"

Her coach went silent. Shaking her head, she went back to her book. She continued to read until she was sent into the game. Once she was later benched, Kuroko immediately went back to reading. This time, no one said anything to her.

* * *

Kuroko ignored her bickering team. Like always, they were comparing point scores. While Akashi and Midorima cared little for the in team competition, the remaining three took the challenge very seriously. Usually Murasakibara or Aomine won, but Kise got close many times. Not that she really cared. Her book was far more interesting than their predictable arguments.

The entire team were all moving away from the stadium. Kuroko trailed in the back, out of sight and mind from the rest of the world. She continued to read as she trailed her group. Only when she felt eyes on her did she look up. Surprisingly, it wasn't her own team that was looking at her. Instead, it was a rather tall high school student. Well, tall by normal standards, not Murasakibara standards.

It seemed that they were passing an incoming high school team who was on the way for their own game. Oddly enough, the entire team only looked a year older than her. She didn't recognize the school name either. They did look extremely intimidated by Teikō. Kuroko didn't blame them, though. She doubted that most college teams could keep up with the Generation of Miracles.

Only the one tall guy from this Seirin school seemed to not be scared at all. He also seemed to actually notice her too. Perhaps she helped defeat him in the previous year, and he actually remembered her. Or he was a super pervert that could sniff out an attractive girl no matter what. Kuroko turned her attention back to her book. Whatever the reason was didn't really matter to her anyway.

Kuroko continued her trek with her team for a while until she accidentally stepped on something. A look down revealed a student ID from Seirin. Sighing, she reached down to pick it up.

Midorima noticed her halt, "What's wrong?"

"It appears that someone from that team we passed dropped their ID. I should return it to them," Kuroko noted.

Akashi looked back to see what she was talking about, "That's acceptable. We're having a meeting later, so try to make it back as soon as possible. Momoi, please accompany her."

The pinkette nodded, "Hai."

"Remember to call if you get delayed."

Together, the two young women made their way back to the stadium. Upon entering the building, they noticed that their target was already on the court. Kuroko gazed at the basketball game with sharp eyes.

"Oh, the game already started," Momoi let out a breath. "In that cased, let's give the ID to management. They can give it back to the owner."

Kuroko was silent.

Momoi looked to her friend curiously, "Tama-chan?"

For a brief moment, Kuroko remembered why she loved basketball. The Seirin team was not dominating. They were also not trailing in a useless struggle. There wasn't even just one person carrying the team. Instead, the entire team was struggling together in a hard fought match. They used team plays to emphasize their individual strengths in the maximum way. Her face twisted with longing.

"They look like they're having fun."

Momoi bit her lip upon seeing her friend's pained look, "Yeah. They do."

"It looks like they really love basketball."

Momoi nodded, "Yes. I would think so too."

Kuroko looked like she wanted to say more but couldn't find the words. With a shuttered breath, she forced herself to turn away from the beauty of which basketball should be, "You're right. We'll give the ID to management. Let's head back."

"Hai."

* * *

Kuroko remembered her other two times at the Nationals. Her first experience was filled with excitement and fear. The second year was mostly a joyful celebration of their hard work, excluding Aomine's crisis. This third year, though, was only filled with burning apathy. As she blended in at the center of her much more eye grabbing teammates, she once again kept her eyes settled in a book.

People shouted all around her. Flashes came from all directions from cameras trying to get pictures of the Generation of Miracles. She could make out questions being thrown to Akashi about their strategy. Kuroko couldn't help but scoff. Strategy? Their strategy was to crush everyone before them until the enemy just gave up. It was a cruel fate, but Kuroko had grown numb to the disgust after seeing it so many times.

The outcome of every game was already decided. She didn't even want to be here. Hell, she hadn't cared about being on the team for a long time. Only her promise with Shieghiro kept her going. This would be it. Everything she went through and endured would finally be justified. When she finally got to play against her childhood friend, then maybe she would get that feeling again. Maybe she would finally enjoy playing the game again.

* * *

"No matter what happens, give your all."

Kuroko looked up from her book. Did the coach actually just say that? Shaking her head, the young woman turned back to her tome. Well, it wasn't her business until she was eventually put in the game.

The end score was 198 to 8. It was a pathetic display. Kuroko would compare it to a toddler trying to fight a fully grown martial arts master. Their enemy was crushed. They were bored. The crowd was hushed in shock.

"Telling them to go all out was dumb," Kuroko noted to the coach without looking up. "What did you expect to happen?"

"I…"

Kuroko sighed, "At least give our opponents hope in the next games. Otherwise, this will be a boring tournament for everyone."

* * *

Kuroko got her play time of course. She didn't really care, but she refused to not play when on the court. Not with Shigehiro so close by. With her long hair pulled into a pony tail, she stepped into each game with a stoic expression. For the most part, she stayed back in defensive position. Not one on the other team scored when she was on the court.

In one game, their opponent specialized in drives. Kuroko smacked the ball out of their hands a total of thirty-four times. By the end of the game, a few of the players started cursing her out. They got thrown out of the game. Not that she cared. It wasn't fun at all.

At another game, the new enemy learned from the last team. They tried sending up as many shots as possible. Not even one basket was made. During the rebound, Kuroko knocked the ball into whatever teammate was close and let them rush down the court to score. It wasn't fun at all.

From there on, the games just blurred together. Her mind buzzed with boredom in each match. She constantly looked at the clock and waited for time to run out. While she could get her own points in the games with fouls, Kuroko decided not to do that. Free throw shots stopped the timers after all. Doing that would just make the games longer. Throughout each match, she didn't once smile like she was enjoying the game.

* * *

"Looks like our match for the finals will be some team called Mikou," Kise noted as they watched the semi-final game before their own.

"Huh?" Murasakibara continued to eat his snacks. "Well, in the end, it doesn't matter, does it?"

Kuroko ignored them. Instead, she clenched her fists in victory. Shigehiro's team was in the finals. Just one more game, and she would finally be on the court at the same time as him. She would finally get the one thing she wanted since the start of middle school.

Soon.

* * *

Teikō's own semi-final game was against the team with the twins. Kuroko remembered them from last year, and based on the glares, they remembered her. They probably thought that she would be Teikō's ace against their foul tactics. She almost laughed at the thought. The phantom sixth player of the Generation of Miracles hadn't been necessary for a year. This game wouldn't change that fact.

While two of the starters were benched to save their stamina, three of the Generation of Miracles was more than enough to dominate. Like always, Kuroko Misdirection Block worked wonders as her teammates continued to dominate. The score quickly moved up to fifty to zero close to the end of the half.

Frustration quickly showed on one of the twins' face. He started swinging elbows to the one target which held his rage for a whole year. Kuroko scoffed at his predictable move. Leaning back, she dodged the strike and stole the ball in one motion. A quick pass to Kise scored them another two points.

Looking the coach, Kuroko stated, "If you want me to have enough stamina for the next game, I'd take me out soon."

He nodded and subbed someone in for her. As she sat on the bench, she went to reach for her book. She paused when she felt eyes on her. Following the feeling, she saw Shigehiro staring at her. He appeared disturbed by something. Kuroko forced a smile and waved. He shakily returned the gesture.

"Next," Kuroko mouthed to him. Yes, they would finally play each other in the next game.

* * *

"I want to be put in the game as soon as possible," Kuroko bowed before the coach.

Her entire time looked at her with wide eyes. It had been a long time since she actually asked to play.

"Why?"

"My childhood friend is on the other team," Kuroko came up from her bow. "We promised each other that we would one day play at this level. I won't ask to have my name announced as a starter, but I want to play as soon as possible and for as long as possible."

"Oh yeah," Aomine scratched his cheek. "I remember you saying that before. It's why you joined the boys' team in the first place."

"Sure, Kurokocchi!" Kise smiled at being able to do something to please his former teacher. "I can sit down a minute in or so."

Midorima frowned, "That's not your decision to make. Let the coach decide."

The coach sighed. He looked to the captain, "What are your thoughts, Akashi?"

Akashi looked to Kuroko. A shiver went down his spine upon seeing the passion in her eyes. He hadn't seen her this passionate in close to a year, "I think that it would be a fair. She is a member of the Generation of Miracles, after all. We can all rotate every few minutes."

"Meh," Murasakibara gave Kise a side glance. "This means that you'll miss out on chances to get ahead in the scoring game."

"Wha?" Kise deflated. "That sucks."

Aomine grunted, "The game's boring now anyways."

"Please don't involve your stupid game in this," Kuroko's voice was laced with ice. "I get that you don't care much about this anymore, but this is important to me. If there's any part in you that still gives even a little bit of a damn, then you'll take this seriously."

"Tama-chan," Momoi fidgeted. "Remember when they were serious before?"

"Shigehiro told me that he expected us to go all out. If we do anything less, then he will be disappointed," Kuroko clenched her fists. "I won't let him down."

* * *

"We're finally here," Kuroko stood before her childhood game during the pre-game warmup.

"Yeah," Shigehiro rubbed the back of his head. "It's been a long time coming."

Kuroko's lips twitched downward, "What's wrong?"

Shigehiro looked away, "You didn't seem happy. When you were playing before, I mean. You didn't smile once."

"I don't smile a lot."

"You know what I mean."

Kuroko took a deep breath. She forced a smile to her face and lied through her teeth, "I was just getting impatient. You don't know how hard I worked for this. This is the climax of everything. It's like…when you're reading a good book. I was almost to the best part and wanted to skip a few chapters."

"Oh," Shigehiro blinked. "That makes sense."

Kuroko held out a hand. "Let's have a good game, Shige-kun."

Shigehiro smiled as their palms met, "I look forward to beating you."

"You wish."

* * *

A minute into the game, the coach spoke up, "Kuroko."

For once, Kuroko did not have her book. She practically leapt out of her seat and pulled off her warmups. Moving to the check in, her mind buzzed. It was finally time. Pulling her silky hair into a tight ponytail, she moved to the desk to announce her entrance into the game. When given the chance, the referees allowed her to switch places with a waving Kise.

Upon stepping onto the court, Kuroko smiled. Memories from the past three years rushed through her mind. She suffered so much for this moment. Her body seemed to hum in anticipation. Her muscles gained a pleasurable burn. Everything seemed to slow down around her. Yes. All the suffering was worth it for this one perfect game.

Her passion for basketball lit to life. Physical boundaries were shattered. Her skill level multiplied several times over. She felt more alive than ever as electricity streamed from her eyes showing that she had just entered the Zone.

'I won't let you down, Shigehiro.'

* * *

Time marches onward always. Pain slowly gets numbed away. Open wounds become jagged scars. The female member of the Generation of Miracles once again faded into the background. With no longer having any reason to be on the basketball team, Kuroko moved away from being associated with her former friends. With expert skills, she avoided speaking any of her previous teammates for the remainder of the year. Part of her desired to quit going to school, but she didn't want to be left without any reason to get up in the morning.

Her last middle school days slowly began to drip away. Out of habit and boredom, she often found herself running and doing sprints. There were many days in which she found herself staring at park basketball courts. Any desire to even shoot around quickly sunk into a boiling pit of disdain which filled her stomach. Despite her desire to be alone though, there were still some obligations which she needed to fulfil.

* * *

"High school, huh?" Kuroko stared out the window of the meeting room.

"Yes," the recruiter nodded. "I'm sure that you've thought about it. With your incredible sports credentials, there are plenty of schools which would love to have you. I would like to offer—"

"Please, let me stop you there," Kuroko sighed. "I agreed to this meeting because you were already here, but I have already decided which school that I'll go to."

Her guest raised an eyebrow, "You have?"

"Yes. I wish for a completely clean slate, so I will be attending Seirin High," Kuroko noted. "It's a completely new school, so I will be able to make myself into whatever I want."

"B-But wouldn't being in a better known academy help you to acquire more university options in the future?"

"More college options?" Kuroko sighed. "I don't care too much about that. I wish to go into teaching. That's something that I have skill and experience in. Most likely, I'll want to work with children. I don't see the need to go through more than what would be required for that."

"Well…it's good to know what your career will be, but what about basketball?"

"I have no more interest in it."

"None? Your record says that you dedicated the last three years of your life to it. I could understand not wanting to be on a male team anymore, but we have a strong female division that you will surely dominate."

"No. No female team. No male team. I don't want to play basketball ever again," Kuroko muttered bitterly. "The time I spent on it these past three years were a waste."

* * *

"Tama-chan!"

Kuroko stopped her retreat from the middle school graduation ceremony. She turned to see her former best friend, "Satsuki-chan, how can I—"

Momoi silenced the other woman with a slap to the face. Kuroko's head whipped to the side. Her body did not move in the slightest. Like always in the past several months, her stoic expression didn't move to show anything but indifference. As the bluenette moved her head back, only the red skin on her cheek remained as a sign of what happened.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Feel better?!" tears began to stream from Momoi's eyes. She reached forward and grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Like something so simple would fix this! Do you know how long I've worked to corner you?!"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "And it only happened today because I allowed it."

"Why have you been avoiding me!?" Momoi tightened her grip. "The others, I can understand, but me?! What did I do?!"

"Nothing, Satsuki-chan," Kuroko stated. "You were the perfect friend to me."

"Then why?!"

"Because it was too painful," Kuroko explained. "We became friends through basketball. I wish to purge everything relating to it out of my life. You were the hardest thing to give up, but I can't be by your side anymore. Doing so would be too hard."

"So you're just giving up our friendship?" Momoi questioned. "You're going to forget everything? All the time we spent together? All the secrets that we shared?"

"You'll be fine without me. There are far better friends than me," Kuroko noted.

"Shut up! I hate that about you!" Momoi openly began to sob. "Why don't you see yourself the way others see you? You're not replaceable, Tama-chan! Just fading away won't solve anything."

Kuroko looked away, "It's all I know, though."

"You promised," Momoi relaxed her grip on friend to wipe her eyes. "We would be friends forever. You can't back out of it. Daiki already has turned his back on me. I can't lose you too."

"Do you know how it feels?" Kuroko whispered. "Do you know how it feels to grow to hate everything that you ever loved? That's how I feel everyday. Everything which once gave me meaning now disgusts me. I…don't want to grow to hate you, Satsuki-chan. Please forget about me or grow to hate me, because that's far better than losing the one set of memories that aren't tainted."

"Idiot," Momoi stepped back. "You're so stupid. I can't hate or forget about you. Not when your eyes look so sad, Tama-chan. I'll find some way to help you, I promise."

Kuroko sighed, "One promise has already been broken. You shouldn't make a second one."

* * *

"That's why you called me here?" Kuroko glared at Akashi. "You used up your last favor to try to convince me to be in your stupid competition."

"It's not stupid, Tamaki-chan," Akashi smiled. "The Generation of Miracles is separating. Next year will be a battle between us to decide which one of us is the best. No matter what, one of us must win the Nationals."

"There's no point to this," Kuroko shook her head. "I'm quitting basketball permanently at the start of high school."

Aomine's eyes widened, "You are?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "I've accomplished everything that I desired to in this sport. There's nothing left for me."

"This is out of character for you," Midorima adjusted his glasses. "You dedicated yourself to the game more than anyone."

"Perhaps, but there comes a time when things have to change," Kuroko mentioned. "A girl couldn't play with the boys forever."

"Ah…" Murasakibara snorted. "Hearing words like that from Tama-chin is funny. Next, are you going to tell us that you want to become an idol?"

"I'd rather that than to play against any of you," Kuroko turned away. "It doesn't matter. From here on out, the Generation of Miracles is over. The phantom sixth player will fade away to be only a memory. Then a myth. Then a joke. As it should be. It was all big joke. Have fun ruining other people's sports experiences, because I wouldn't play this stupid sport again for anything.

She began to walk away from them. The completely shocked and hurt Kise called out to her as she opened the exit to both the gym and their lives, "No! This can't be! Kurokocchi loves basketball more than anything else! She would never abandon it or us!"

Kuroko stopped. Turning around, Tamaki looked to every one of her teammates. She recognized the looks in their eyes. It was the same emotion that she saw in the mirror every day now, the pain of losing what you loved the most. Shaking her head, she spoke to five of the most important people in her life for what she hoped to be the final time. Her words echoed heavily across the gym before the door slammed shut behind her.

"Sometimes, the things you love will never love you back."

* * *

 **The End.**

 **Yep. That's the ending that I envisioned. As of right now, I have no plans for any follow up. Knowing me, if I start telling a story about Kuroko's time in Seirin, then it will become some huge project. So I'm going to leave it here for now. The way I see it, there are two options of what would happen next. One, Momoi and Kise go on a mission to bring Kuroko back into basketball using the Seirin team as temptation...or the Seirin team never gets to meet Kuroko. She fades into obscurity. Unless I write something more, the second one is the canon ending in my mind.**

 **If you liked this story, consider looking at my other fanfiction. If you're a fan of my work in general, please consider going to FictionPress to read my original work. Five different stories are being updated on a weekly basis. All summaries and links are on my profile page.**

 **P.S. If you go read my original work, I might be more inclined to do something to continue this story. Just saying.**

 **Thank** **you all for reading and please remember to...**

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